A tiny town in India’s Himalayas buzzes with activity to celebrate Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday

DHARAMSHALA – Thousands of Tibetan Buddhists began streaming successful India’s Himalayan municipality of Dharamshala connected Sunday to observe the 90th day of the Dalai Lama, who said days agone that helium plans to reincarnate aft dying.

Hundreds of red-robed monks and nuns braved incessant rainfall and poured done the constrictive streets of Dharamshala to marque their mode towards the main Dalai Lama temple, wherever the spiritual caput was scheduled to present a speech. A assemblage of Tibetans — immoderate carrying ceremonial offerings — walked beside them.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, has been surviving successful exile since helium fled Chinese regularisation successful Tibet successful 1959, and his day volition beryllium attended by thousands of his followers from astir the satellite on with celebrities and officials from the United States and India.

Earlier this week, the Nobel Peace Prize winning Buddhist spiritual person said he plans to reincarnate aft his death, ending years of speculation that helium mightiness beryllium the past idiosyncratic to clasp the role. He besides said that the adjacent Dalai Lama should beryllium recovered and recognized arsenic per past Buddhist traditions.

On Saturday, the Dalai Lama said helium hoped of surviving for decades more, until the property of 130.

In the past the Dalai Lama has said his successor volition beryllium calved successful the “free world” — extracurricular China. Many exiled Tibetans, however, fearfulness China volition sanction its ain successor to the Dalai Lama to bolster power implicit Tibet, a territory it poured troops into successful 1950 and has ruled ever since.

China, which views the Dalai Lama arsenic a separatist, has repeatedly said that it unsocial has the authorization to o.k. the adjacent spiritual person of Tibetan Buddhism. It besides says it volition cull anyone chosen without Beijing’s consent.

Recognized worldwide successful his reddish robes and wide smile, the Dalai Lama describes himself arsenic a “simple Buddhist monk.” But millions of Tibetan Buddhists worship him arsenic surviving manifestations of Chenrezig, the Buddhist deity of compassion.

The Dalai Lama was thrust onto the Tibetan throne successful 1937. Soon after, Chinese troops swept into his homeland successful the 1950s and crushed a failed uprising, forcing him to flight with thousands of his followers to India wherever helium established a authorities successful exile.

Since then, helium has spent much than 7 decades successful exile and sustained a federation successful exile by managing to physique a assemblage that’s kept the Tibetan civilization and individuality alive. The Dalai Lama has besides go 1 of the world’s astir recognizable figures portion starring a Tibetan diaspora done their conflict for autonomy and absorption of China’s power of Tibet.

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