As Dalai Lama celebrates his 90th birthday at Dharamshala, here is how he is challenging Beijing over Tibetan future and why China fears him
His Holiness Dalai Lama celebrates his 90th birthday on Sunday, 6th July in his long-time place of exile, Dharamshala. Amid prayers, cultural performances, and private ceremonies, the celebrated Tibetan spiritual leader delivered a potent message: he intends to live another 30–40 years and steer the future of Tibetan Buddhism away from Chinese control.
Many people across the world are extending their best wishes to the Tibetan spiritual leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a post in X tagging Dalai Lama saying “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. His message has inspired respect and admiration across all faiths. We pray for his continued good health and long life.”
Who is the Dalai Lama?
14th Dalai Lama officially known as Tenzin Gyatso was born as Lhamo Thondup on July 6, 1935, in the Chija Tagtser, at the edge of the traditional Tibetan region of Amdo in what is today Qinghai Province. At just in the age of 2, he was identified as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso.
The term “Dalai Lama” is Mongolian, meaning “Ocean of Wisdom”. In Tibetan Buddhism, Dalai Lamas are considered manifestations of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, an enlightened being who chooses to be reborn to serve all sentient beings.
He assumed full political authority in 1950, just as Mao’s communist China asserted over Tibet. In 1959, he fled to India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. On 29 April 1959, the Dalai Lama established the independent Tibetan government in exile in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie, which then moved in May 1960 to Dharamshala, where he resides now. To make way for a democratic government, He retired as political head of Tibet in 2011.
In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In the 12th General Assembly of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace in New Delhi unanimously recognized the Dalai Lama’s contributions to global peace.
Why China fears him?
1. Symbol of Tibetan Identity and Legitimacy: His enduring global influence embodies an alternative moral and spiritual authority beyond Beijing’s reach. China has long attempted to delegitimize him, branding him a “separatist” and launching anti‑Dalai media campaigns.
2. Spiritual Control and Succession Battle: China claims the right to appoint the next Dalai Lama via its state-controlled process mirroring its handling of the Panchen Lama appointment in the 1990s. Beijing fears a schism: an exiled Tibetan‑selected successor versus a state‑approved figure.
3. Cultural Resistance: Through evictions, arrests, and surveillance in Tibetan regions, including heightened security in Amdo, China suppresses any homage to him during politically sensitive periods like his 90th birthday.
4. Cyber and Propaganda Warfare: China has reportedly targeted his network and Tibetan exile groups through cyber espionage campaigns like GhostNet and Shadow Network, underscoring the broader battle for information control.
Birthday week: A defiant declaration
On 5th July, he led prayers in Dharamshala, voicing his hope to live well past 130 years and seek blessings from Avalokiteshvara. While addressing a gathering of his followers in Dalai Lama temple at Mcdonaldganj “I have been able to serve the Buddha dharma and the beings of Tibet so far quite well, and I hope to live over 130 years,” he said. “We have lost our country and we live in exile in India, but I have been able to benefit beings quite a lot. So, living here in Dharamshala, I intend to serve beings and the dharma as much as I can,” he said, referring to the teachings of the Buddha, according to a translation of his speech.
On 2nd July, Wednesday, he affirmed that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust, his trusted religious foundation can select his reincarnation, rejecting any intervention from Beijing.
The road ahead
Despite being in exile for nearly 70 years, the Dalai Lama is revered by millions inside Tibet and globally. He symbolizes Tibetan identity, autonomy, and religious freedom, challenging Beijing’s narrative of a “liberated” Tibet. But Beijing has already anointed its own Panchen Lama, a move many Tibetans see as a dry run for picking a puppet Dalai Lama when the time comes.
At 90, the Dalai Lama is both a living monument and a lightning rod. His stance marks a strategic effort to preserve Tibetan identity and spiritual autonomy. As tensions grow, competing claims to his successor could deepen Tibet‑Indian and global diplomatic tensions.
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