Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Feb. 8: The Voluntary Tibetan Advocacy Group India (V-TAG India), an initiative under the exile Tibetan government, officially launched a global tribute campaign on Saturday to celebrate the upcoming 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in July 2025. The campaign, titled “Global Tribute for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday!”, was inaugurated at the Tibetan Settlement Office in Dharamshala, the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
The campaign aims to honour the Dalai Lama’s lifelong contributions to global peace, compassion, and wisdom. “This milestone is an opportunity to honour His Holiness’ profound impact on the world and to continue spreading his message of kindness and unity,” said Tenzin Dhenden, the V-TAG Dharamshala’s Co-ordinator, during the launch event.
One of the key elements of the initiative is a worldwide message and letter campaign, encouraging individuals to submit birthday wishes for His Holiness. Participants can deliver their messages to the nearest V-TAG Coordinator, while those in India may drop off or mail their letters to Hope Cafe and Stories on Jogiwara Road, Dharamshala. The campaign will continue until May 15, 2025, and supporters are encouraged to participate on social media using the hashtag #WishesForHisHoliness90thBirthday.
The campaign will culminate in a commemorative book filled with birthday wishes from well-wishers worldwide, which will be presented on the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6, 2025. “This is an opportunity for everyone to express their gratitude, admiration, and well-wishes for His Holiness. Your creativity and heartfelt words will be a part of this historic tribute,” the advocacy group stated.
In addition to V-TAG’s efforts, the CTA announced in December 2024 that it would facilitate contributions and donations to mark the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. The Central Organising Committee outlined plans for year-long celebrations, officially designating July 2025 to July 2026 as the “Year of Compassion.” In a statement released on December 2, the CTA noted that these contributions would support various events and initiatives honouring the Dalai Lama’s extraordinary legacy.
The celebrations will commence with a special long-life prayer ceremony based on the Amitayus Extracting the Pure Ambrosia practice, scheduled for July 5, 2025, in Dharamshala, on the eve of his birthday. The official birthday celebration on July 6 will mark the beginning of a series of global commemorative events throughout the year.
In recognition of this milestone, CTA President Penpa Tsering announced on July 6, 2024, that 2025 would be formally observed as the Year of Compassion. The year-long commemoration will highlight the Dalai Lama’s four principal commitments, with the CTA organising four major events, each focusing on one commitment. Individual CTA departments will manage activities within their respective jurisdictions, while Offices of Tibet worldwide will coordinate national and institutional programs. To enhance participation, the CTA will launch an online portal providing access to documentaries, exhibition content, and event details, allowing organisers to share their initiatives.
The 90th birthday holds particular significance, as the Dalai Lama has previously indicated that he would convene a meeting with senior Buddhist leaders upon reaching this age to discuss the future of his reincarnation. The issue of his reincarnation remains a matter of great importance for Tibetans and his followers, especially given China’s ongoing attempts to exert influence over the process for political gains.
One Response
COMPASSION IS CONTAGIOUS
I was an adopted child of a family called Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV). TCV was born due to the far-sighted vision of His Holiness the Dalai lama and its urgent inception took place when our Kundun saw the pitiable condition of the children of road construction worker parents. My story began when my loving mother gave birth to me. At that time the situation in Tibet was very poor politically and economically. I was born to a farming family in a village named Dorgye at Shekar district, U-tsang Tibet. For my parents, education was a distant word. Their lives revolve around year-long work in the fields and tending live-stocks; manually changing their products into butter, shoes and clothes fabrics in-between the agricultural works and raising of animals. Suddenly in the 80s, the term ‘foreign land’ spread like wild fire and our small hamlet caught its frenzy too. Many of our village kids started dreaming of the mysterious ‘foreign land’ and started pressing their parents to take them to India. My sister was one amongst them. Luckily her feverishness got answered and finally I got the chance to visit India with my mother to meet my sister. Luckily, we got the opportunity to get audience with His Holiness the Dalai lama and pilgrimages to precious religious places in India.
Not in my dreams that I could stay away from my mother, yet I did to get EDUCATION. My mother admitted me to TCV and return back to Tibet with our brother. Then on, It was my TCV family who made me the person I am today. My adopted mother TCV is immensely focused in her mission of ensuring the children under her care to receive a sound education, a firm cultural identity and become self-reliant and contributing members of Tibetan society and world at large.
My journey progressed along the way supported and backed by my family motto Others before self and its mission self-reliance and contribution back to society. I was then sent out to do further studies after my under graduation. My family equipped me to parachute into the world of work yet their string of love brought me back to my home TCV to help my other siblings. I did help my cousins for a very long time in my big family and had a great time. Be it as a child or an adult, my family taught me the power of compassion, the force for good, the art of happiness, Universal ethics and responsibility, secular ethics and going beyond religion and emotional intelligence to use in our modern complex yet closely networked world of ours.
Now, to celebrate our Ocean of Wisdom’s 90th birthday as the year of compassion. I would like to dedicate myself to the best possible version as a positive agent; trying to fulfill His Holiness’s aspiration of committing to his four commitments as a progressive secular spiritual force in making this shared global village of us a peaceful and homely abode.
Submitted by: TENZIN Kyinzom
Lieu: France