Spiritual leader Dalai Lama greeted by actor Richard Gere
Dalai Lama was today greeted on his 79th birthday by the Tibetan government in-exile, which vowed to resolve the Tibet issue with the Chinese government using the spiritual leader's Middle Way Approach.
In a message to the spiritual leader, the 14th Kashag or Tibetan Parliament in-exile attributed the unity of its people to Dalai Lama, saying "the fact that the Tibetan people are united like an iron ball regardless of their regional or religious affiliations and in spite of the Chinese occupation is mainly due to his enlightened leadership".
Dalai Lama is currently in Leh for 'Kalchakra', also known as the 'Wheel of Time' in Buddhist philosophy.
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born July 6, 1935, to a peasant family in Taktser village in the Amdo region of Tibet. Ever since he left Tibet in 1959, the Tibetan spiritual leader has travelled to more than 50 countries and met their political and spiritual leaders.
He has been bestowed with over 150 major awards, prizes and honorary doctorates, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, United Nations Earth Prize in 1991, US Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 and the Templeton Award in 2012.
Lobsang Sangay, the first democratically elected Tibetan Prime Minister in-exile, said the Central Tibetan Administration is observing this year as the "Year of the Great 14th Dalai Lama" to express appreciation of the spiritual leader's accomplishments for the cause of Tibet and the promotion of peace, inter-faith harmony and human values.
"The Middle Way Approach continues to receive support from governments around the world and from the international community, including a growing number of Chinese citizens and the CTA has launched an international campaign to continue this awareness and support for the Approach," he said.
Sangay said the Secretaries of the CTA will visit Tibetan settlements and generate mass awareness about the Middle Way Approach so that all Tibetans participate in this effort.
On the larger issue of Tibet, he said the Kashag's believes that this will only be resolved through dialogue with the Chinese government.
"It is our hope that the new Chinese leadership will soon realize the fact that the Middle Way Approach is a mutually beneficial solution to the Tibet problem," he added.