By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, April 23: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama participated in celebration of his turning 80 this year in the presence of his friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa here at the Upper Tibetan Children’s Village school today.
Over a thousand students from the TCV School wished the Tibetan leader on turning 80 this year which is lined up with public events dedicated to the Tibetan leader. The two Nobel Laureates met with students who have survived dangerous escape from Tibet on foot in a short event inside the Junior Section library where works of students in form of essay and paintings on joy were on display.
The two Nobel laureates sat on a raised platform surrounded by over a thousand children of the school seated under a traditional opera canopy.
The Tibetan leader looked at his friend from South Africa and said, “Since you often describe my English is very poor so now here I am going to speak Tibetan.”
His Holiness said that in order to create a happy family, a person should create joyfulness then share it with family members. “Temporary joyful in killing your enemy or bullying someone will [get] temporary satisfaction. But the genuine joyfulness is [in] helping others, you get more satisfaction. So, that kind of thinking about joyfulness is really important factor to build happy society, peaceful society.”
He pointed at Archbishop Tutu and said, “He is one of my dearest friends in this world. He is not just one of my closest friends in terms of relation between one person to another but he has also been a constant supporter of the Tibetan people and their cause.
Ministers of exile Tibetan administration, Speaker of Tibetan Parliament Penpa Tsering, local Tibetans, Tibet supporters and over a thousand students, local Tibetans and senior officials of Tibetan government in exile participated in the celebrations which also sang songs in dedication to world peace and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Addressing the gathering, Desmond Tutu said that the world loves His Holiness the Dalai Lama. “When I talk, a small number of people come in a small hall, and when the Dalai Lama talks, people look for the largest venue to host him. But I am not jealous,” he said, sending the gathering into laughter.
Tutu expressed his gratitude to the people and government of India for giving home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans. “Thank you Indian people and India, what a great treasure that would otherwise have been lost.”
Recalling many of his country’s leaders and people who went into exile and had returned home, Tutu said “One day, you too, all of you will be free from oppression that has driven you to here (exile).”
“Chinese government will discover that freedom is actually cheaper than the oppression,” added Tutu.
The two Nobel Peace laureates spoke about peace, joy and compassion with the students.
Answering a question on how he controls his anger on a daily basis, His Holiness said that saying prayers in anger will not help but only reasoning is a way to transform the mind. “Constant fear, Constant anger, constant hatred, is eating our immune system. In order to have healthy body, healthy mind that means calm mind, so anger is a destroyer of a calm mind.”
The Dalai Lama also called on students to preserve the religion and Buddhism tradition and that it is very much related and needed for the 21st century.
On a question about joy and happiness, Archbishop Tutu said one cannot buy happiness. “You can be the richest person on the earth, but if you are selfish and care only about yourself, I can bet my bottom dollar, you will not be happy and joyful.”
The Tibetan leader blew the candles on the birthday cake with two kids from the school as Tutu kept laughing at the several attempts being made by His Holiness and the two kids at blowing out the flames. Children were distributed cakes in celebration of the Tibetan leader’s turning 80 this year. As children sang greeting songs Archbishop Tutu danced in joy as His Holiness kept laughing, a rare spectacle for the gathering.
Archbishop Tutu arrived in Dharamshala last week to jointly write a book about joy. Archbishop Tutu visited Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts yesterday.
