By Tenzin Menkyi
DHARAMSHALA, June 21: The Central Tibetan Administration, Riwo Geden and the Dhomay Association jointly offered a long life prayer offering to the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 80th birthday today as per the Tibetan lunar calendar.
Adorning the traditional yellow hat, the Tibetan spiritual leader accepted the mandala offering and citation from His Eminence Sakya Ghongma Rinpoche in the presence of the heads and representatives of the four traditions of the Tibetan Buddhism and Bon. Also present were the Nabam Tuki, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Sri Pema Khandu, a minister in the Arunachal government, Tibetan PM Lobsang Sangay, Speaker of the Tibetan parliament Penpa Tsering, Tibetan ministers and members of the Tibetan parliament.
The long life prayer ceremony was followed by an official function at the courtyard of main temple. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism and Minister of Civil Aviation, presided over as the Chief Guest. Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Govt. of India, was the Special Guest.
The government and the people of Arunachal Pradesh awarded a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and a citation to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his contribution to the humanity.
The Tibetan PM Sangay greeted His Holiness the Dalai Lama on behalf of all Tibetans, inside Tibet and those in exile, expressed gratitude to His Holiness for his leadership and his contribution to the world.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama acknowledged the guests and public for wishing him on his birthday. However, he told the gathering that the best birthday gift for him would be adherence to the teachings of lord Buddha and continuation of being the custodian of the rich tradition of Nalanda. His Holiness said that the Tibetans must realize the importance of the Tibetan language in brining to light the great teachings of Nalanda. “Tibetan language is the only language which can explain in entirety the great scriptures of the Nalanda tradition. Tibetan language might not be beneficial for livelihood but it is the only medium that can explain the great Nalanda tradition. And this tradition can benefit the entire humanity. It is not a mater of religious belief, it is the study of mind,” His Holiness said.
He added, “ The more you care for the happiness of others, the greater your own sense of well being becomes and without doubt, cultivating this sense will help everyone”.
He said that India must realize that the message that he carries around the world is actually Indian, the great masters of Nalanda. “So I call myself son of India wherever I go. Because I lived on this land for more than 56 years now, and my body dwelled on the rice and dal grown on this land,” His Holiness said, adding that India is the an example of a land where all major religious traditions coexisted for hundreds of years. “India should be an example of religious tolerance. These days there are killings in the name of religion in some parts of the world but in India it has been very peaceful in general. It is but natural for some minor incidents of violence here and there but generally very harmonious,” he added.
The ceremony concluded with everyone, guest and public, relishing an open-luncheon in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself.
