Dalai Lama marks 90th birthday

Calling himself an "ordinary Buddhist monk" who does not normally celebrate birthdays, the Dalai Lama marked his 90th birthday on July 6 with prayers for peace after China insisted it would have the final say on who would succeed the Tibetan spiritual leader, AFP reported.

Calling himself an "ordinary Buddhist monk" who does not normally celebrate birthdays, the Dalai Lama marked his 90th birthday on July 6 with prayers for peace after China insisted it would have the final say on who would succeed the Tibetan spiritual leader, AFP reported.

Chanting by red-robed monks and nuns echoed from forested temples high in the Himalayas in India, where the Dalai Lama has lived since he and thousands of other Tibetans fled Chinese troops who crushed an uprising in their capital Lhasa in 1959.

"I am just an ordinary Buddhist monk; I do not normally celebrate birthdays," the Dalai Lama said in a message thanking those celebrating with him for using the opportunity "to cultivate peace of mind and compassion."

Dressed in traditional robes and a flowing yellow robe, supported by two monks and flashing his trademark beaming smile to thousands of followers, he oversaw dramatic dance groups with clanging cymbals before prayers began.

Beijing denounces the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has spent his life fighting for greater autonomy for Tibet, a vast highland plateau, as a rebel and a separatist.

But amid the celebrations, Tibetans in exile worry that China will appoint a successor to tighten its grip on the territory it deployed troops to in 1950 and has ruled ever since.

That raises the prospect of rivals for the post — one appointed by self-proclaimed atheist Beijing and the other from the Dalai Lama’s office in neighboring India, China’s regional rival.

The celebrations are the culmination of days of prayers for the long life of Tenzin Gyatso, whom his followers consider the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a man whose moral teachings and unique humor have made him one of the world’s most popular religious leaders.

He said he has received calls from followers from across the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia and China.

The seemingly esoteric questions of reincarnation have real political implications, with Tibetans fearing his death would deal a serious blow to his efforts for greater autonomy for the Himalayan region.

The Dalai Lama has said that only his office in India will “exclusively” determine his successor, prompting a swift and sharp response from China that the reincarnation “must be approved by the central government” in Beijing. | BGNES

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