Hong Kong/Dharamshala (CNN) The 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner famed for his message of compassion and his fight for greater freedoms for Tibet under Beijing’s authority, was celebrated Sunday in Dharamshala, India, with thousands of people in attendance.
Despite the dense fog and intense monsoon rain, people in their finest attire crowded the winding alleyways starting in the early morning hours, waiting in long lines to see the Dalai Lama at the Tsuklakhang Tibetan Buddhist compound.
The temple, which was packed before the celebrations started and strongly guarded by Indian police and security forces, left hundreds of eager visitors waiting to see if they would be in.
As two attendants escorted the Dalai Lama into the complex, masked dancers dressed in traditional garb swirled to the sounds of gongs, pipes, and horns.
Hollywood star Richard Gere, a longstanding Dalai Lama supporter, and Indian government representatives also spoke at the occasion.
As the Dalai Lama was presented with a piece of his birthday cake, adorned with a white lily and fresh fruit, singing performances filled the courtyard.
The event was the last of several days of festivities that brought supporters and religious leaders to the small city in the foothills of India’s Himalayas. The city has been the home of the Dalai Lama since he fled Tibet during a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese communist rule and has been the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
Many, including Namgyal Dorjee Gongpa from New Jersey in the US, had traveled great distances to participate in the festivities.
“This is a very momentous occasion for myself and my family,” the 49-year-old told CNN while attending the ceremony with his wife and three sons.
To help my children who were born abroad return to their roots and learn and practice their culture, we travel to India, the core of the exile Tibetan system, every year. We can all participate in the celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, which makes it a wonderful occasion.
The Dalai Lama stressed the value of developing a good heart and being compassionate in order to achieve peace of mind in a birthday message on X. A commitment to uphold human values, religious harmony, ancient Indian knowledge, and Tibetan culture—all of which have enormous potential to benefit the world—was woven throughout his ideas.
As guests prayed for a long life during a ceremony on Saturday, he gave them assurances about his excellent physical health and increased his longevity target to 130, which is 20 years longer than he had previously predicted.
The Dalai Lama was seen on camera swaying softly to more live music as he was escorted out of the shrine before heading outside and riding off on his golf cart.
The celebrations this year are especially important because they provide the charismatic leader with an opportunity to address the pressing issue of what will happen to him after he passes away.
Reincarnation
The Dalai Lama confirmed that his office has the exclusive power to acknowledge his future reincarnation and declared that he will have a successor after his death in a video address to religious elders on Wednesday.
The Dalai Lama stated in his recorded message that no one else has the power to meddle in this issue.
The declaration lays the groundwork for a conflict between exiled Tibetan Buddhist leaders and China’s atheist Communist Party, which maintains that it is the only party with the power to choose the next Dalai Lama.
Many Tibetan Buddhists applauded the Dalai Lama’s declaration since they had been waiting for his answer to the subject of whether the centuries-old institution will cease with his death. He had previously stated that he would reevaluate the matter around the time of his 90th birthday.
Tenzin Nyidon, 26, who is originally from Odisha in eastern India, spoke from the masses and told CNN that she respects his reincarnation. She also expressed concern about China’s efforts to politicize this process.
She went on to say, “I think he has given careful thought to the future and made it clear that the Tibetan people and Buddhist traditions will guide the decision and not any outside political interference.”
However, I do worry, as do many Tibetans, about China’s efforts to politicize the reincarnation process by possibly selecting its own dalai lama. In addition to misrepresenting our religion, their choice of a dalai lama would constitute an attempt to weaken Tibetan identity.
Tibetan Buddhists hold that enlightened spiritual masters like the Dalai Lama will be able to determine the location and time of their reincarnation after they pass away by using their compassion and prayer. They also believe in the circle of rebirth.
However, experts predict that Beijing will attempt to create its own dalai lama following the current one as part of the Communist Party’s campaign to sinicize religion in order to ensure that it aligns with Communist Party leadership and maintain its tightening grip over Tibet. The religious tradition has increasingly turned into a battlefield for control of Tibetan hearts and minds.
In the past, the Dalai Lama has urged his followers to reject any candidate Beijing chooses, saying that his successor will be born in a free world outside of China.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, when questioned about the Dalai Lama’s most recent remarks regarding his reincarnation, on Wednesday reaffirmed Beijing’s long-standing position that the spiritual leader’s reincarnation must adhere to Chinese laws and regulations, with search and identification being carried out in China and authorized by the central government.
Beijing has long claimed that the Dalai Lama is a dangerous separatist and has worked to undermine him.
However, the Dalai Lama has insisted since the 1970s that he no longer wants Tibet to have complete independence but rather meaningful autonomy that would enable Tibetans to keep their unique identity, culture, and religion. He received international acclaim and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his dedication to the peaceful middle path.
However, the Dalai Lama’s worldwide influence seems to be diminishing as China’s political and economic might has increased, particularly since his advanced age makes it harder for him to continue his numerous travels. After multiple trips to the White House since 1991, the spiritual leader has not met a sitting US president since Barack Obama in 2016.
However, a film that was shown at the celebration and put together by Tibet TV, which is controlled by the Tibetan government-in-exile, showed the sincere words that came in from world leaders, politicians, MPs, and artists on his birthday.
Obama praised the Dalai Lama for his friendship and wished the youngest 90-year-old I know a very happy birthday.
You have demonstrated to generations what it means to stand up for freedom and dignity and to behave with compassion. He said, “Not bad for someone who calls himself a simple Buddhist monk.”
“I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday,” said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a statement on X that was read at the event.
He has always stood for patience, love, compassion, and moral restraint. All religions have admired and respected his message. We offer up prayers for his long life and great health.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed efforts to protect Tibetan history, particularly their freedom to select and honor religious leaders without hindrance, in an official statement that was read during the occasion.
2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company, is the company behind CNN-Wire. All rights reserved.
