Dalai Lama says he hopes to live past 130 as India declines to weigh in on his succession | OneFootball

The Dalai Lama has said he hopes to live beyond 130 years of age, speaking a day ahead of his 90th birthday, as the Buddhist spiritual leader’s succession has renewed frictions between India and China.

The 14th Dalai Lama spoke during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, as part of birthday celebrations on Sunday. Hundreds attended the prayer offering at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala in India.

In the temple and its surroundings, decked in marigold garlands, lotus flowers, and other blooms, monks and devotees performed cultural dances to mark the birthday celebrations.

“I still hope to live for over 130 years,” the Dalai Lama told followers around the world and those gathered in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, where he has lived since fleeing Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

“We have lost our country and we live in exile in India, but I have been able to benefit beings quite a lot. So, living here in Dharamshala, I intend to serve beings and the dharma as much as I can,” he said, referring to the teachings of the Buddha, according to a translation of his speech.

The succession of the Tibetan Buddhist leader has reignited longstanding tensions between India and China, with Beijing insisting it has the sole authority to approve the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan Buddhist leader declared he will be born again and affirmed that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue, issuing a long-awaited statement this week.

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Monks prepare to take part of the long-life prayer and ceremony to celebrate the upcoming birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama at Tsuglagkhang, the Dalai Lama Temple (Getty Images)

The Dalai Lama insists that his successor will be born in a “free” country and urges his followers to reject any candidate appointed by Beijing.

In a statement on Friday night, the Indian foreign ministry said the country does not take any position on matters of faith and religion and remains committed to upholding religious freedom.

“The government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion,” the foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

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Monks donate food for the long-life prayer to celebrate the upcoming birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama at Tsuglagkhang (Getty Images)

“Government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so,” the statement added.

The response came after China warned India against interfering in its domestic affairs and urged it to be prudent in its words and actions to avoid harming bilateral relations.

“We hope the Indian side will fully understand the highly sensitive nature of Tibet-related issues, recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama,” spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference.

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Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala (REUTERS)

The Dalai Lama, then just 23 years old, was granted asylum by the Indian government under then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru after he fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The Buddhist monk was accompanied by thousands of Tibetan refugees, who were also allowed to settle in India. The Indian government facilitated the establishment of a Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala, in the northern Himalayan state, which has served as the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Tibetan exile community.

The issue has reared its head at a sensitive time in India and China relations when the two countries are trying to improve their ties, which were at their worst in decades after a deadly border standoff between the two armies led to deaths on both sides in 2020.