Dalai Lama Celebrates 75th Birthday In India (VIDEO)

(AP) DHARMSALA, India — The Dalai Lama celebrated his 75th birthday Tuesday with hundreds of cheering followers in this northern Indian town where he has been living in exile since he fled Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.

Looking at posters depicting his life as a child, a young man and a spiritual leader, the man who has come to symbolize Tibet's struggle against China said: "I remember my past and I feel that I haven't wasted these years."

"Even at this age, I find time for my Buddhist studies that give me strength, peace, happiness and keep me in good health," he said.

In neighboring Nepal, police detained at least 22 Tibetan exiles on their way to a celebration for the Dalai Lama, according to an Associated Press reporter who was at the police station in Katmandu.

Katmandu Police Chief Ramesh Kharel said the Tibetans were taken in for questioning and would be released.

Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, a government official in Katmandu, said Nepal will not tolerate protests against 'friendly nations,' including China, though the exiles will be allowed to hold low-key celebrations inside monasteries and refugee camps.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular news conference Tuesday remarked about the date: "I only remember two dates: March 8, 1951 and May 23, 1959, the liberation of the Tibetan serfs."

In Dharmsala, young artists beat drums and played bagpipes and flutes as the Dalai Lama arrived at his temple to meet his followers.

The Tibetan prime minister-in-exile, Samdhong Rinpoche, raised the Tibetan flag as the musicians played the Tibetan anthem.

The Dalai Lama received gifts and traditional white scarves from his followers, sat through a cultural program of songs and dances and watched an exhibition of Tibetan miniature paintings called "Thangka."

Comments

[Zhuubaajie]

06:18 PM on 07/07/2010

Again, the Dalai is only a tiny sliver of Tibetan culture, and the personal worship of him is certainly not the entirety of all things Tibetan.

Wanna know how the Chinese treasure and protect Tibetan culture? WHICH nation on earth actually spent money developing a word processing program for the language of the ethnic minority? Seen any good Office software in Navajo lately?

The world's first word processing software package in the Tibetan script is on sale in China.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-jW6cOQroQ

WHAT exactly is it that the Dalai 14 has done, in comparison, to preserve Tibetan culture? In his 14 incarnations, he INTENTIONALLY kept the vast majority of native Tibetans ILLITERATE, so they have to rely on the monks and the few ruling elites. Today the literacy in Tibet is higher than 80%, much of it bilingual (native Tibetan, and Mandarin). Still low compared to the national average, but MUCH better than the area had ever been under the 14 generations of the Dalai.

[Dave108]

02:51 AM on 07/07/2010

President Hu?

Poor Chinese communist leaders - none of them will ever be as famous or as revered as the Dalai Lama.

No wonder they are all so jealous.

[Zhuubaajie]

12:01 PM on 07/07/2010

Poor Chinese leaders? At least they do not have to fly all over the place to beg others to buy their treasuries. The Chinese leaders know exactly what their jobs are, and that is to improve the lives of the 1.3 billion Chinese. Seems like they have a modicum of success at it too, and that is what is important, and the best reward to those dedicated servants of the people. Can you say the same about the Beltway pols?

[zugzwang]

05:21 PM on 07/06/2010

There is an online birthday tribute for HH here:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/dalai_lamas_birthday/?vl

[zugzwang]

05:32 PM on 07/06/2010

You can send him a message there, I meant to add.

[Pema]

06:02 PM on 07/06/2010

zugzwang thank you so much for sharing this!
happiness and fanning.

[Occam123]

04:07 PM on 07/06/2010

Ironically, Dalai Lama did more to spread Tibetan brand of Buddhism than he ever could've remaining a deified quasi-feudalistic leader of Tibet.
And this is a good thing.

[mike72]

10:45 PM on 07/06/2010

Empty words.

Do your self a tally. What has Daila Lama actually done over the course of last 50s that justify the empty preaches he made? He mingled with the Holloywood stars and the powerfuls in Washing DC. He is carefully aligning himself with the powerful, NEVER EVER made one single move to sacrifice his standing with them, INCLUDING agreeing with Geroge W Bush on his war on Iraq.

Never ONCE has he sacrified his influence to make a stand that is for the love of humanity!

Name once and I would withdraw my case.

[Vitorio]

11:51 PM on 07/06/2010

your bitterness goes directly against your own point.

[mike72]

12:25 AM on 07/07/2010

Why so? Name one case where he risked his political standing with the famouse and powerful for humanity?

[chandran007]

03:48 PM on 07/06/2010

The Chinese are waiting for Dalai Lama to d!e.

After his d eath, that would be the end of Tibetens and their culture. Bye bye.

Obama and Biden et al have become too friendly with the Chinese!

[Zhuubaajie]

09:49 PM on 07/06/2010

Is that really so? The Dalai 14 is NOT Tibetan culture. His various incarnations were a sad part of Tibetan local history (the Qing emperors certainly picked the wrong guys to run the local administration - as the "god kings" invariably believed in keeping the vast majority of the natives illiterate serfs, to serve the few and the elite. Most of the Dharamsala crowd are pogeny of this ruthless serf-owner class.

Does it look like China is destroying Tibetan culture, with:

(1) Tens of millions of RMB spent on the restoration and first time publication of King Gesar in glorious details (this is the epic poem of Tibetan culture that predates the Dalai generations) - WHAT epic poem of native Americans can you cite today??

(2) University chairs and professorships for each and every one of the 56 Chinese ethnic minority groups (including the Tibetan), collating, collecting and scholarly studying of these cultures, as part of the Chinese national treasures.

(3) Contemporary celebration of minority culture as mainstream Chinese - there is nary any major entertainment program on national TV that does not showcase minority culture - dances, songs, etc.

Look around you and compare before you badmouth the Chinese again.

[mike72]

10:38 PM on 07/06/2010

How it that possible? Is Tibetan population in dire danger? Is Tibetan culture being systematically suppress?

The Tibetan population grows from mere 1 million to 6 million over the course of 50 years. And Tibetans are taught in both Tibetan language and Madarin Chinese. There is no one child policy restriction. And the Templates are functioning through out the Tibetan region.

For whatever it is worth, UN had awarded China for its efforts in preserving the Tibtan culture. Please DO NOT equate Daila Lama WITH Tibet!

[Nyingje]

03:09 AM on 07/07/2010

For what it is worth, I am Western Buddhist monk. I attended HHDL's birthday celebration yesterday at McLeod Ganj. I have many Tibetan friends.

For millions of Tibetans, the Dalai Lama is the symbol par excellence of their aspirations for cultural and political autonomy. When His Holiness passes, it will be a dark day for Tibetans, make no mistake about it.

I have spoken to Tibetan monks who say that they left China because they were not allowed to practice their religion freely. Sure, they practice the outward forms of religion: they can make prostrations, perform pujas, and so on. But if they want to actually receive education in Buddhist philosophy or instruction in meditation, they have to escape to India or Nepal. China keeps very tight controls on religion. I have also heard that in recent years it has "gotten better," but how much better, I do not know. At any rate, for Tibetans, the practice of their culture and their religion should not be left up to the whims of paranoid Beijing bureaucrats who lack wisdom and have no love for Tibetans and their ways. After all, the common view among mainland Chinese is that Tibetans are dirty, backwards ingrates. Beijing politicians do what they must to give them plausible deniability, but they would love nothing more than for Tibetan religion and culture to become mere hollow shells, empty of any potential for upsetting Chinese political hegemony. To believe otherwise is totally naive.

[Zhuubaajie]

02:07 PM on 07/06/2010

It is indeed proper to reflect, on his 75th year, the ramifications of bad deeds done and lies told, on the next reincarnation. Rest assured that the 15th Dalai will be chosen as per historical form, by the golden urn as interpreted by the top monks in Lhasa - NOT elsewhere. And it is pretty much assured that the Dalai 15 will not be a Benedict Arnold to the nation to whom he pledges allegiance.

If there is one thing for sure, old folks die as they get old. It clearly is the wont of the Dalai 14 to die in his self chosen exile. No foreign power deems it important enough to fight China over Tibet - the Dalai has served his purpose for the Westerners, and had been discarded unceremoniously like so much a dishrag. You should see the pictures of him being push out the service exit with the dirty water pooled on the ground, in his latest visit to the White House. That is very fitting for an inglorious life for a slaveowner god king.

[zaragyemo]

02:25 PM on 07/06/2010

"But many Tibetans Buddhists don't believe the Golden Urn is a truly Tibetan method of selection. That's because the system was introduced only in the late 18th century on the orders of Chinese emperor Qianlong, who wanted to boost his influence in the country. As Chinese influence waned in Tibet, the locals went back to using their own soulful tools. A Dalai Lama has not been picked using the urn since 1858."

And also China has been an atheist country since 1949 and has no right to choose a religious leader when they don't believe in any of it.

Period.

[Zhuubaajie]

09:54 PM on 07/06/2010

Historical custom is always weighty in determining the norm. The custom of having the golden urn to pick the next generation of Tibetan high priests was continuous and well honored by ALL of the sects of Tibetan Buddhism (keep in mind that the Dalai only stands for ONE of the many sects).

Just this last month the 6th Living Buddha Dezhub chosen in Tibet with the golden urn.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/art/lifestyle/2010/07/06/263469/Fifth-Living.htm

[GandenT]

01:08 PM on 07/07/2010

Actually to call that guy a "Chinese" emperor is incorrect -- revisionist history. The Manchu ruled an empire that included China from 1644, when they conquered whatever "China" was then, to 1911. The Chinese were subjects of the Manchu forced to shave their heads and forbidden to intermarry with the Manchu among other symbols of Chinese inferiority and servitude to the Manchu. The Tibetans were also subjects of the Manchu as were the Mongolians and the Uighurs. The Chinese pretense that they were the Manchu rather than their slaves is as laughable as their pretense that the Mongol empire was "Chinese" just because the Mongols conquered "China". Right now the Chinese have conquered and colonized their neighbors but in the past the same was done to them many times. It's all written clear as day on the PRC flag: one big fat star for the "Chinese Chinese" and four little stars for their conquered and occupied subjects: the "Manchu Chinese", the "Mongolian Chinese", the "Uighur Chinese", and the "Tibetan Chinese".... The point being that Chinese sources are completely unreliable; and this is before one gets to the Communist theories about the use value or lack thereof of history and nationalism.

[GandenT]

02:07 PM on 07/06/2010

Happy Birthday You Holiness! I hope your people get peace, justice, and freedom as soon as possible!

[mike72]

10:41 PM on 07/06/2010

There are wars and unjust happening right here in USA yet His Holiness is mingling with the powerfuls taking pictures.

Prior to 1950s, over 95% of the Tibetan population were either slaves or serfs.

What make you think that if he were returned back to Tibet as the head of the former slave owners, there will be peace, justic and freedom?

GET REAL!

[GandenT]

12:40 PM on 07/07/2010

Thank you for reciting the CCP's talking points regarding their invasion of Tibet in 1950; you are an ignoramus who knows nothing of history, Tibetan, Chinese, or otherwise. If you educated yourself you might not be so angry and foolish; it's your choice.

[StopCensoringMe]

01:31 PM on 07/06/2010

It seems only fitting that we should wish you a "happy" birthday as you have been a beacon for showing us what true happiness is. Thank you for the gifts you have given to us.

[Zhuubaajie]

10:03 PM on 07/06/2010

It apparently is easy to show quite a few in the West what happiness is, du jour. The West has seen various brands of gurus from the East, each with its own idiosyncrasies. Anyone willing to look deeper at the books sold in the West, supposedly coming from the Dalai 14, would be convinced of the new age ghostwriting used to embellish what this particular wise man supposedly taught.

But like they say, whatever blows your hair back, man.

[StopCensoringMe]

10:34 PM on 07/06/2010

Having spent considerable time in audience with His Holiness, I am confident that his written words come directly from his own life's journey. I am saddened by the darkness and cynicism that seems to permeate who you are.

[Pema]

01:03 PM on 07/06/2010

tibetan mimiture paintings are not called thankas, thankas are religious in nature. the are used in vajrayana practice that tibetans embrace.
i also find it horrible that some chinese government dik is saying the tibetan people have been liberated serfs, when in fact tibet has become chinas dumping ground of nuke waste and using its resources for its own end. resposible for over 1 million tibetan deaths they have decimated the country. they wont be happy until they have put the final death nail in tibetan culture and religion.
sorry china the iron bird has flown...

[Zhuubaajie]

10:07 PM on 07/06/2010

Let's see - Tibet had been part of New China for almost 50 years. 1 million Tibetan deaths over 50 years, with a population of about 2.5 million, that works out to less than 0.8% a year. WHAT WONDERS!! That is even less than the mortality rate in the U.S.!!

[Pema]

09:23 AM on 07/07/2010

these are the number of the murdered.

[tkns]

01:00 PM on 07/06/2010

To think the reason the Chinese are so powerful, is because we shipped all our jobs to them. Obama I voted for you to kick their behind to the curb-stop being bipatisan with the rethugs and work on it. Maybe the turbulance will free the Tibetans too.

[Zhuubaajie]

02:15 PM on 07/06/2010

You got it backwards. First the Chinese had to learn that nothing in this world comes free. Each and every Chinese had to learn, the hard way, that they have to work hard and actually earn a living as a matter of what is right. No entitlements. Everyone is willing to learn and to do extra work without being asked, they work hard and they save hard. Multiply that by 1.3 billion, and there is a favorable environment for all types of business to thrive. THEN come the foreign investments, BECAUSE it is hard to beat the combination. If Americans learn to do that, and watch less TV, their could indeed be meaningful changes. But not before.

[zaragyemo]

02:32 PM on 07/06/2010

Yup, you are right. Chinese had learned that nothing comes free....it all comes with the cost of others lives - whether it's committing suicide in an Apple part manufacturing company in China or other workplace or by killing Tibetans and Uighur people or others voicing their opinion and showing dissatisfaction of CCP. And if Americans made stuff in their own country - I bet there will be less contaminated milks and no lead in kids toys and things will last beyond one season.

[Mishal Zeera]

04:15 PM on 07/06/2010

Thats fine, but Tibetans aren't Chinese. You, Mao or anyone else saying they are does not, never has and never will, make it so. China illegally and brutally stole Tibet from the Tibetans, who overwhelmingly revere His Holiness.

Despite the Han Chinese cultural invasion of Tibet, the repression of her language and her religion and culture, China has failed miserably to brainwash the Tibetan people.

[Odeemgawa]

12:53 PM on 07/06/2010

Gotta love those Han Chinese.

[KIVPossum]

12:01 PM on 07/06/2010

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday dear Dalai
Happy Birthday to You

[Balzac]

11:56 AM on 07/06/2010

Happy Birthday to the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

[bluesraves]

11:46 AM on 07/06/2010

Happy Birthday your Holiness

Eventhough I am not Religious at all His Holiness is the only Religious Leader who makes any sense to me at all and I hope that this birthday marks only the halfway point in this very important and very, very wise mans life.

Let's hope he is the first human to live to 150 if for no other reason then do drive the Chinese Government completely crazy.

[kooldalai]

01:56 PM on 07/06/2010

That's your buddha nature.

[seachange525]

02:27 PM on 07/06/2010

Fanned and faved. Imagine...a spiritual leader who practices what he preaches!

[DaMojo]

11:43 AM on 07/06/2010

Happy Birthday Dalai Lama.
I hope you get your country back.