Latest news with #Kashag
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘I still hope to live for over 130 years': Day before 90th birthday, Dalai Lama addresses followers
A visibly emotional Dalai Lama addressed his followers in Dharamshala on Saturday, saying that he hopes to live until he is about 130 years old. The Tibetan spiritual leader turns 90 on Sunday. 'I still hope to live for over 130 years.. We have lost our country and we live in exile in India, but I have been able to benefit beings quite a lot. So, living here in Dharamshala, I intend to serve beings and the dharma as much as I can,' the Dalai Lama said during the long life prayer ceremony, referring to the teachings of Buddha. On July 2, the Dalai Lama had announced that the 'institution of the Dalai Lama will continue', and his Ganden Phodrang Trust in the office of the Dalai Lama will be 'solely responsible' for finding his reincarnation. The long life prayers were offered to the Dalai Lama by his followers, and the Kashag (council of ministers), Central Tibetan Administration (Tibetan government-in-exile), in a grand ceremony at Tsuglagkhang temple on Saturday morning. Saturday's ceremony is considered a prelude to the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday and the introduction of a year-long 'Year of Compassion' celebration, highlighting Tibetans' cultural and traditional legacy. Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Hollywood actor and Chair of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) Richard Gere, several Indian as well as US government diplomats, senior Lamas, heads of all four Tibetan Buddhism schools and many others were among the dignitaries who attended the long life prayer ceremony. The Dalai Lama came from his private residence to the temple's courtyard in a golf cart, waving at his followers. Hundreds of Buddhist monks, Tibetan Buddhism followers and tourists from across the globe thronged the Tsuglagkhang temple, amid tight security, to catch a glimpse of the Buddhist spiritual leader. The entire complex was adorned with marigold garlands and vibrant Buddhist flags. The long life prayers were a moving blend of traditional rituals, devotion, and global solidarity culminating in the Dalai Lama's hopeful affirmation for a long life ahead, as his community prepares for his birthday celebrations. On June 30, the Dalai Lama had attended the public programme in honour of his 90th birthday according to the Tibetan lunar calendar (5th Tibetan day of the 5th Tibetan month) along with a long life offering ceremony organised by people of the Dhomey province. On Sunday, the Dalai Lama will attend the public programme organised by the Kashag, on behalf of all Tibetan people and address the gathering.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
Dalai Lama's 90th birthday to be celebrated in McLeodganj, Rijiju to attend
As days draw closer to the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday on July 6, monks clad in maroon and saffron robes are moving towards Tsuglagkhang, the main Dalai Lama temple, in the Himalayan town of McLeodganj. The small town in Himachal Pradesh, also known as 'Little Lhasa' for being the host to the Tibetan government-in-exile, is the centre of global interest as a series of events, celebrations and, perhaps, announcement of a successor mark the 90th birth anniversary of the spiritual leader. The week-long celebrations that began on June 30 have picked up pace with a lineup of religious conferences, youth forums, film screenings, and communal prayers over the weekend. Over 100 Tibetan Buddhist leaders and representatives attended the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference on July 2-4 and more than 100 young Tibetans from 15 countries are attending the International Tibetan Youth Forum from July 3-5. The major events leading up to the Dalai Lama's birth anniversary include a community prayer on July 5 led by the members of the 'Kashag', the cabinet of the Tibetan government. "His Holiness the Dalai Lama will attend a long life prayer offered to him by the Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration on behalf of all the Tibetan people in the morning at the Main Tibetan Temple," a statement by the Central Tibetan Administration said. On the evening of July 5, a film "4 Rivers 6 Ranges" will be premiered. Directed by Shenpenn Khymsar, the film is a retelling of Tibet's struggle for independence. On July 6, the 90th birthday celebration of the 14th Dalai Lama will take place with the launch of the "Year of Compassion". Dignitaries including Union minister Kiren Rijiju, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, and Hollywood actor Richard Gere will attend the special ceremony. During the week-long celebration, the issue of the Dalai Lama's successor has also come up. The Dalai Lama is revered by Tibetan Buddhists as a living manifestation of Chenrezig, the Buddhist god of compassion. The Tibetan spiritual leader on Wednesday affirmed that the sacred institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and only the Gaden Phodrang Trust will have the authority to recognise his future "reincarnation", declaring no one else can "interfere" in his succession plan. China rejected the Nobel Peace laureate's succession plan, insisting that any future heir must receive its seal of approval, adding a new chapter to Tibetan Buddhism's decades-long struggle with the Chinese ruling Communist Party. From 7-9 July, a three-day festivity will feature Tibetan arts, crafts, medicines, literature, religion, educational exhibitions, film festival, and medical camps organised by the departments of the Central Tibetan Administration.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dalai Lama mourns older brother, veteran Tibet leader
The Dalai Lama led prayers in India on Sunday mourning the loss of his elder brother, a veteran leader of the exiled Tibetan people, who has died aged 97. Gyalo Thondup was born in 1928, more than three decades before the 1959 revolt in Lhasa against Chinese forces, whose crushing forced the Dalai Lama across snowy Himalayan passes into India. He later led the Tibetan government in exile as chairman of its "Kashag" or cabinet in the early 1990s, and was the personal emissary of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, speaking Sunday in prayers at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in southern India, said elder brother "did his best, and was very dedicated and brave". The spiritual leader offered prayers "for the fulfilment of the deceased's wish to be able to work closely with the Dalai Lama for the Tibetan cause in all his future lives". Thondup died in India on Saturday evening. The fading generation of Tibet leaders -- especially those who can remember what their homeland was like before the 1959 uprising -- raises worries amongst many in the diaspora for the future. The 89-year-old Dalai Lama says he has decades yet to live, but Tibetans who have followed him abroad are bracing for an inevitable time without him. China says Tibet is an integral part of the country, and many exiled Tibetans fear Beijing will name a rival successor to the Dalai Lama, bolstering control over a land it poured troops into in 1950. - 'The world is changing' - Tibet has alternated over the centuries between independence and control by China, which says it "peacefully liberated" the rugged plateau and brought infrastructure and education. The International Campaign for Tibet group said Thondup was the "point person to take up the Tibetan issue internationally" after the Lhasa uprising. He was also key among those who reached out to the CIA for supplies to a 2,000-strong force to launch guerrilla attacks against Chinese forces as a Cold War proxy. During the 1960s they snuck into Tibet from Nepal's mountainous kingdom of Mustang to lay ambushes, including blowing up Chinese army trucks. But after the CIA cut funding, and the Dalai Lama in 1974 urged fighters to lay down arms, the fighters and Thondup followed his call for a peaceful solution. Thondup, speaking in 2008, is quoted as saying that he hoped China would take a more "reasonable approach and treat us equally". Despite little sign of policy shifts from Beijing, including rounds of negotiations in which he had a major role, he said he had not lost hope for a peaceful resolution. "Have you ever dreamed? China is changing, the world is changing," he said. "I'm quite optimistic". str-pjm/sn
