- By Shibra Arshad
- Sat, 05 Jul 2025 05:14 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Saturday expressed his wish to cross 130 years as the Buddhist community gears up to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama. Addressing a prayer ceremony, where scores of followers gathered to pray for his long life, the Dalai Lama expressed his wish to live as long as 130 years.
The Dalai Lama said, “So far, I have done my best and with the continued blessings of Avalokiteshvara (a Buddhist spiritual protector), I hope to live another 30 or 40 years, continuing to serve sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma.”
The announcement came a day after he said that his future incarnation would be recognised according to the Buddhist tradition, and his office would lead the search for his hire.
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The Dalai Lama has been living in Dharamshala since he fled Tibet in 1959 after the failed uprising against Chinese rule. From then on, the Dalai Lama has mobilised the Tibetan community inside and outside China as he has sustained Tibet’s aspirations for greater autonomy under Chinese Communist Party rule.
Making a statement on his hire, the Dalai Lama on July 2 said the only Gaden Phodrang Trust, founded by him in 2015, will have the authority to decide on future reincarnation and nobody else will be a party in this regard.
His statement ended the speculation around China’s role in the process and doubts that he might be the last person to hold the post. China, remarking on this, said that the process of recognising the future Dalai Lama would need the seal of approval from Beijing.
China sees the Dalai Lama as a separatist and has insisted that only Beijing has the authority to approve his hire.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju attended the prayer ceremony on Saturday and said, “I am a devotee of the Dalai Lama. Anybody in the world who follows the Dalai Lama wants his successor to be chosen by the Dalai Lama himself.”
