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Kashag Statement on Dalai Lama’s 75th Birthday

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The Statement of the Kashag on the Occasion of the Seventy-Fifth Birthday Celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

6 July 2010

On this auspicious occasion of the seventy-fifth birthday celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people, the Kashag, on behalf of the Tibetans inside and outside Tibet, as well as all of his disciples and well-wishers across the globe, makes obeisance to him and prays that he may live for hundreds of years.

Since his childhood until now, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, while developing a great sense of empathy and compassion for all sentient beings, has provided enormous service to humanity by catering to the needs of people with different mental dispositions while, at the same time, contributing to the maintenance and promotion of the entire teachings of the Buddha Sakyamuni, known in the Buddhist world as the “Fourth Guide”. Particularly in this post-modern era, His Holiness has provided inspirational guidance to the believers (in all religions of the world) and non-believers alike. Transcending the bounds of religion, His Holiness has also given unprecedented and timely advice of what he calls “secular ethics”, emphasising on the need to develop universal responsibility through the promotion of basic human values and inter-religious harmony and co-existence for the common good of the world we live in. Moreover, for resolving the issue of Tibet, His Holiness has come out with the mutually-beneficial Middle-Way policy and non-violent means to realise it. His Holiness has further transformed the nature of the exile Tibetan polity into a genuine democracy. There is no way we can repay our debts of gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. However, with a strong sense of the realisation of all that he has done for us, we would like to re-pledge ourselves today that we shall put into real practice the many valuable advice that he has given to us.

That nothing untoward has happened to the person of His Holiness the Dalai Lama thus far is mainly due to his altruistic feelings and karmic merits, the protection given by the guardian deities of Tibet, the collective merit of the Tibetan people, and particularly due to the assistance and co-operation extended by the central and state governments of India and its great people. While expressing our heart-felt thanks to all of them, and especially to those overseeing the security of His Holiness, we would like to urge them to further intensify their assistance and co-operation in this respect.

With great compassion, His Holiness labours day in and day out for the benefit of all humanity. Inspired by this verse of Shantideva, the great Bodhisattva: “Like the earth and the other great elements [of nature] as well as the sky [above]//May [I] also remain eternally to serve as one who solves the infinite sentient beings’ myriad problems,” His Holiness immerses himself in their service. We have nothing but admiration for all his endeavours, but these are certainly taking a great toll on His Holiness’ health. The physical wellbeing of His Holiness is very important for humanity in general, and for the short and long-term benefits of the Tibetan people in particular. Therefore, we would like to implore him to kindly see to it that his daily programmes do not come in the way of his good health.

A few leaders of the People’s Republic of China, who are blind to choosing between right and wrong and who lack foresight due to their preoccupation with short-term personal and political power gains, are liberally spending both human and financial resources to issue baseless accusations against and to slander His Holiness. This is because of the jealousy arising out of their inability to match His Holiness’ meritorious deeds all over the world. Their actions, which resemble spitting in the air that will fall back on themselves, has become a source for the people of the world to view the autocratic Chinese leaders as the ones who are unable to accept the truth and who rely only on lies and violence rather than seeking truth from facts. This has also become a condition for the Tibetans to remain more united. However, as stated in the Indian and Tibetan treatises on worldly affairs that the power of the opposition should not be underestimated or neglected, the Kashag would like to make some important appeals to the Tibetans in and outside Tibet at this critical period.

As a result of the clear display of the united Tibetan spirit in 2008, the sympathy and support to the Tibetan cause by the people of the world, and due especially to His Holiness’ achievements and great deeds, the other side is using all its political, financial and human powers to create discord among Tibetans and between Tibetans and the local communities where Tibetans live in exile. It is particularly using many deceitful means to erect obstacles on the way of Holiness’ activities and deeds globally. The Kashag would like to make an emphatic appeal to the Tibetans in and outside Tibet that they should remain alert to these Chinese manipulations and always be careful in maintaining unity among ourselves and keeping good relations with the local communities.

Since the upcoming elections for the fifteenth Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and the third directly-elected Kalon Tripa are crucially important, the people at large are currently engaged in serious discussions and debates as to whom they should vote. At such a time, the people should be careful about the other side’s evil designs and infiltrations. Moreover, each Tibetan must sincerely and courageously take part in the election processes by not shirking their democratic responsibilities and rights. It is very important to use one’s own intelligence, rather than following what others say, in making the right choice of candidates in the ensuing elections. The Kashag would like to appeal to all the Tibetan people to give a serious thought over these.

For over fifty years, the Tibetans in and outside Tibet have been able to withstand the unbearable circumstances and emergencies with great courage and strength, and for over four generations the Tibetans have been able to maintain their religion, culture and tradition. This is solely due to the grace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Furthermore, the fact that Tibetans have, in un-diminishing spirit, been able to continue our non-violent movement is a matter of great pride for us. Looking at the changes that are taking in the world and within the country, the issue of Tibet is heading towards finding a solution. Nevertheless, His Holiness often states that one must hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Hence if the issue of Tibet takes time to resolve, then it is important for the Tibetans in and outside Tibet to preserve their unique character of good moral conduct without losing their spirit. Good moral conduct is not only a symbol of the Tibetans but also a source for the Chinese and the people around the world to have affection for and to support our cause. Likewise, the young Tibetans must make efforts towards their general studies, and particularly towards becoming professionals well-versed in both traditional and modern education.

The mutually beneficial Middle-Way policy, which has been adopted by the overwhelming majority of the Tibetans under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is the sole way to resolve the issue of Tibet. The Kashag is currently pursuing this policy, based on the fact that it enjoys the overwhelming majority support of the Tibetans and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile has endorsed it unanimously. We believe that all of the Tibetan people will, after having relied on their respective intelligence to ascertain the merit of this policy, support it whole-heartedly.

Finally, the Kashag prays that His Holiness may live long and all his wishes be spontaneously fulfilled. May the truth of the issue of Tibet prevail soon!

The Kashag

(NB This is an English translation of the statement issued in Tibetan. If there is any discrepancy between this and the Tibetan version, please treat the latter as authoritative and final.)

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