The Dalai Lama turns 85

Tribune News Service

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Dharamsala, July 6

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetans, turned 85 today. The celebrations at his official residence in McLeodganj remained low key. In a message to his followers, the Dalai Lama said that the prayers of his followers shall help him live till 110 years.

He said, “Today is July 6, my birthday. It’s not possible for a large number of people to hold a big celebration because of the restrictions due to the pandemic. And it’s not necessary either. However, if you want to celebrate my birthday, I would like to ask you to recite the Mani mantra (Om Mani Padme Hum) at least a thousand times.”

The reason for my saying this is “We Tibetans have a unique connection with Avalokiteshvara. After we came into exile in India and after I settled here in Dharamsala, the statue of Chenrezig Wati Sangpo was brought to me here from western Tibet. When the monks of Dzongkar Chode Monastery were moving from Dharamsala to southern India, I did dough-ball divination to see whether the statue should go with them or remain here with me. The result indicated that Wati Sangpo preferred to stay here with me and so I serve as his caretaker”.

“Therefore, on my birthday, either visualise me, Gyalwa Rinpoche, as inseparable from Avalokiteshvara or visualise Avalokiteshvara as the principal deity and me as a monk sitting in front of him. If you then recite his mantra (Om Mani Padme Hum) a thousand times, it will be beneficial. With that practice, you will create some roots of virtue that you can dedicate to me, Avalakiteshvara’s messenger, to live for 110 or 108 years or so,” said the Dalai Lama.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Central Tibetan Administration on Monday announced to dedicate this year as “Year of Gratitude”.