Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday: Actor Richard Gere, of Norman fame, was in Dharamshala on Sunday to celebrate the 14th Dalai Lama, a Tibetan spiritual leader, on his 90th birthday. This time, the 14th Dalai Lama met with and blessed the Tibetan spiritual leader Richard Gere, a Hollywood actor and practicing Buddhist.

He bowed to the Tibetan spiritual leader and gave the Dalai Lama a respectful and admiring kiss on the hand. The Dalai Lama was seated behind the actor.

Other notables joined Gere in celebrating the 14th Dalai Lama’s birthday. The Dalai Lama’s supporters and members of the Tibetan community entertained the guests with a traditional dance. The 14th Dalai Lama’s birthday was celebrated with a lively dance. To commemorate His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, Tibetan Buddhist monks in exile held special prayers at the Dorjidak Monastery near Shimla at Panthaghati on Sunday morning.

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Reincarnation of Dalai Lama:

A young boy monk, Nawang Tashi Rapten, recognized as the reincarnation of Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche, the leader of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism—led the somber rites, long-life prayers, and symbolic sacrifices to mark the occasion. The Dalai Lama was born as Lhamo Dhondup on July 6, 1935, in Takster, a small farming village in northern Tibet. At just two years old, spiritual leaders recognized him as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama.

They later gave him the name Tenzin Gyatso and formally appointed him as Tibet’s temporal and spiritual leader on February 22, 1940. The Mongolian title “Dalai Lama” translates to “Ocean of Wisdom.” In Tibetan Buddhism, followers view the Dalai Lama as the human embodiment of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, an enlightened being who chooses rebirth to help all sentient beings.

After fleeing Tibet, the Dalai Lama and over 80,000 Tibetan refugees settled in India. Since then, he has consistently championed compassion, non-violence, and peace. For more than 60 years, His Holiness has inspired millions around the world as a global ambassador of Buddhist philosophy, peace, compassion, and interfaith harmony. Tibetan communities across India and around the globe celebrated the occasion with devotion and reverence. Many also voiced their hopes for the continuation of the Dalai Lama’s spiritual lineage through a recognized reincarnation in the future.

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