Dalai Lama birthday: PM Modi extends wishes, describes him as symbol of love and compassion

The 14th Dalai Lama, known to the Tibetan people as Gyalwa Rinpoche, is the current Dalai Lama, also the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibet. In a social media post on X, PM Modi prayed for the good health and long life of the Dalai Lama.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended birthday greetings to the Tibetan spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, on his 90th birthday, calling him a symbol of "love, compassion, patience and moral discipline."  In a social media post on X, Prime Minister Modi prayed for the good health and long life of the Dalai Lama. 

"I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. He has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline. His message has inspired respect and admiration across all faiths. We pray for his continued good health and long life," PM Modi posted on X. 

On Sunday morning, Tibetan Buddhist monks living in exile offered special prayers at the Dorjidak Monastery near Shimla at Panthaghati to mark the 90th birthday of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama.  Earlier, on July 5, on the eve of the 90th birthday of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, prominent Indian leaders, including BJP leader Vijay Jolly and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, attended a celebratory event in Dharamshala to honour the revered figure.

Dalai Lama at 90

The 14th Dalai Lama, known to the Tibetan people as Gyalwa Rinpoche, is the current Dalai Lama, also the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibet. The 14th Dalai Lama was born on July 6, 1935, in the small farming village of Takster, northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, the boy Lhamo Dhondup was recognised as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. In October 1939, he was brought to Lhasa and formally installed as the head of the state of Tibet on February 22, 1940.

Boy Lhamo Dhondup was later named Tenzin Gyatso, and his monastic education was started at the age of six. Dalai Lama is a Mongolian term that means "Ocean of Wisdom'', and the Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Bodhisattva of compassion. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed their own enlightenment and chosen to take rebirth to serve, according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The Dalai Lama assumed full political powers in 1950, after the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949. In March 1959, after the suppression of the Tibetan National Uprising, the Dalai Lama was forced to escape into exile in India with over eighty thousand refugees. For over six decades, the Dalai Lama has been working for the promotion of peace, love, and compassion.