Dalai Lama turns 90 and vows to keep defying China for years

The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, turned 90 on Sunday after a week of celebrations by followers during which he riled China again and spoke about his hope to live beyond 130 and reincarnate after dying.

The Nobel laureate is regarded as one of the world's most influential religious leaders, with a following that extends well beyond Buddhism, but not by Beijing which calls him a separatist and has sought to bring the faith under its control.

Fleeing his native Tibet in 1959 in the wake of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, the 14th Dalai Lama along with hundreds of thousands of Tibetans took shelter in India and has since advocated for a peaceful “Middle Way” to seek autonomy and religious freedom for the Tibetan people.

Thousands of followers from around the world, celebrities, and officials from the US and India, will attend his birthday celebrations in Dharamshala, the small Indian town in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Dalai Lama lives.

During the celebrations, which will include cultural performances and remarks by long-time follower and Hollywood star Richard Gere as well as federal Indian ministers, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to deliver a speech.

In a birthday message on his website on Sunday, the Dalai Lama said he was “just a simple Buddhist monk” and that he will continue to focus on his commitments of promoting human values and religious harmony.

Global leaders sent well-wishes, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US secretary of state Marco Rubio.

“I join 1.4-billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. He has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline,” Modi wrote on X.

Rubio said the Dalai Lama continued to inspire people by embodying a message of “unity, peace, and compassion”.

“The US remains firmly committed to promoting respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans. We support efforts to preserve Tibetans' distinct linguistic, cultural and religious heritage, including their ability to freely choose and venerate religious leaders without interference,” he said, according to a state department readout.

The preceding week of celebrations was particularly important for Tibetan Buddhists as the Dalai Lama had previously mentioned that he would speak about his succession at his 90th birthday.

On Wednesday, he allayed their concerns about the future of the institution of the Dalai Lama by saying that he would reincarnate as the leader of the faith upon his death and that his nonprofit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, had the sole authority to recognise his successor.

China has said that the succession will have to be approved by its leaders.

The US, which is seeking to counter the rise of China, has called on Beijing to cease what it describes as interference in the succession of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist lamas.

Reuters