Wearing his signature maroon robes and an unshakeable calm, the Dalai Lama turned 90 on Sunday, urging followers across the globe to embrace compassion and warm-heartedness as the path to inner peace. While eschewing personal celebration, the Tibetan spiritual leader welcomed the global goodwill directed at him, only if it served to promote altruism.
“I am just a simple Buddhist monk; I don't normally engage in birthday celebrations,” he said in a statement released from Dharamshala, where he has lived in exile since 1959. “However, since you are organising events focused on my birthday I wish to share some thoughts.”
The message, filled with characteristic humility, also reasserted his life’s guiding principles. “While it is important to work for material development, it is vital to focus on achieving peace of mind through cultivating a good heart and by being compassionate, not just toward near and dear ones, but toward everyone,” he said. “Through this, you will contribute to making the world a better place.”
As the revered Tibetan Buddhist icon entered his tenth decade, world leaders extended greetings, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both underlining the Dalai Lama’s legacy of peace and non-violence.
“I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday,” Modi posted on X. “He has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline… We pray for his continued good health and long life.”
From Washington, Rubio issued a statement affirming America’s commitment to Tibet’s religious and cultural rights. “The United States extends best wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday,” the statement read. “The Dalai Lama continues to inspire people by embodying a message of unity, peace, and compassion.”
The Tibetan spiritual leader has long stressed his devotion to four key commitments: human values, interfaith harmony, preservation of Tibetan culture, and reviving ancient Indian knowledge of the mind. He reiterated that pledge once again.
“I will continue to focus on my commitments of promoting human values, religious harmony, drawing attention to the ancient Indian wisdom… and Tibetan culture and heritage,” he said.
During his address to devotees gathered in Dharamshala, he spoke candidly about exile, hope, and longevity. “We have lost our country and we live in exile in India, but I have been able to benefit beings quite a lot… I intend to serve beings and the dharma as much as I can,” he said.
He added with optimism, “I still hope to live for over 130 years.”
On July 2, he clarified that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, which he established, alone holds the authority to recognise his reincarnation—rejecting China’s claims to that right. Beijing has long asserted that the central government must approve any successor to the Dalai Lama.
In his 90th birthday message, the spiritual leader quoted from Shantideva’s famous vow:
As long as space endures,
As long as sentient beings remain,
Until then, may I too remain
To dispel the miseries of the world.
Also read: Dalai Lama declares who can name his next incarnation
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