DharamShala: The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, Dalai Lama, celebrated his 90th birthday on Sunday after a week of events held by his followers.
During the celebrations, he once again challenged China talking about his desire to live beyond 130 and promising to return through reincarnation after his death.
The laureate Nobel is considered one of the most influential religious leaders in the world, with a follow -up that extends far beyond Buddhism, although not by Beijing, which labels him a separatist and has tried to put faith under his control.
Fleeing his Native Tibet in 1959 after a failed survey against Chinese domain, the 14th Dalai Lama, along with hundreds of thousands of Tibetans, took refuge in India. Since then, he has advocated a peaceful approach of “middle path” to seek autonomy and religious freedom for the Tibetan people.
It is expected that thousands of followers from all over the world, along with celebrities and officials from the United States and India, attend their birthday celebrations in Dharamshala, the small Indian city in the foothills of the Himalayas where Dalai Lama resides.
The celebrations will have cultural actions and speeches, including one of the long -standing follower and the Hollywood actor Richard Gere, as well as the Indian federal ministers. Dalai Lama himself is scheduled to address the meeting.
The previous week of festivities had a special meaning for Tibetan Buddhists, since Dalai Lama had previously indicated that he would talk about his succession on his 90th birthday.
On Wednesday, he facilitated his concerns in stating that he will reincarnate as the leader of the faith after his death and that Gaden Phodrang Trust, his non -profit institution, has the only authority to recognize his successor.
However, China has insisted that any succession must be approved for its leadership.
The United States, which seeks to counteract the growing influence of China, has urged Beijing to put an end to what calls interference in the succession of Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist slats.
