Post by : Jyoti Gupta

Photo:AP

Dharamshala — As he prepares to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 6, the Dalai Lama is expected to make a long-awaited announcement about the future of his spiritual legacy. The Tibetan spiritual leader, Tenzin Gyatso, has suggested in the past that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama would continue only if the Tibetan people and global followers desired it.

Thousands of monks, nuns, and well-wishers from around the world have gathered in the Indian town where the Dalai Lama has lived in exile since 1959. That year, he fled Tibet following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Lhasa, the region’s capital.

Wearing his traditional maroon and yellow robes, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk listened to prayers, chants, and emotional tributes. “We offer our fervent devotions that Tenzin Gyatso, protector of the Land of Snows, lives for a hundred eons,” sang a group of red-robed monks in front of an audience that included religious leaders of many faiths.

For many Tibetans, the Dalai Lama is more than a religious figure — he represents a symbol of hope, peace, and resistance to the cultural and political pressures from China. His age, however, raises concerns about who will lead Tibetans in the future.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a separatist and has announced plans to select its own successor, a move Tibetan exiles see as an attempt to control the faith and suppress Tibetan identity. In contrast, the Dalai Lama maintains that he is a “simple Buddhist monk,” and insists that any future decision should reflect the will of the Tibetan people.

As his 90th birthday nears, all eyes are on whether he will announce the continuation — or end — of the Dalai Lama lineage, a decision that could shape the spiritual and political future of Tibet for generations.