Various performers performed traditional welcome songs after the spiritual leader arrived in an open van to preside over celebrations in the courtyard of the Tsuglakhang temple, festooned with Buddhist and Tibetan flags and portraits.
“We are celebrating my 88th birthday, but look at me, I barely look 50,” the Dalai Lama said with a smile.
The spiritual leader has settled in Dharmsala since he fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. India considers Tibet to be part of China, although it hosts Tibetan exiles.
The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist, saying he only advocates considerable autonomy and protection for Tibet’s native Buddhist culture.
Last April he was heavily criticized after a video was broadcast on the internet in which he was seen kissing a small child on the mouth and telling him to suck his tongue. The images sparked outrage on social networks, where users called his behavior inappropriate.
The Dalai Lama later apologized in a statement posted on his website. He indicated that he was sorry for the incident and wished to apologize “to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends around the world, for the damage his words may have caused.”
FUENTE: Associated Press
Leave your comment
