Dalai Lama’s Life And Legacy Marked At Washington Event

WASHINGTON, DC -US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Riley Barnes joined celebrations marking the Dalai Lama’s 91st birthday here, calling it an honor to celebrate the Tibetan spiritual leader’s life and legacy.

Barnes, who also serves as US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, attended the event organized by the Office of Tibet with support from the International Campaign for Tibet.

Barnes recalled meeting the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala in 2019 while working in the US State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom. He said he witnessed the Tibetan leader’s compassion, generosity, sense of humor and hospitality.

The celebration opened with prayers led by Tibetan Buddhist leaders and brought together members of the Tibetan community, Tibet supporters, diplomats and representatives from government and civil society.

Namgyal Choedup, the Dalai Lama’s representative for North America, said the significance of the occasion extended beyond celebrating the spiritual leader’s birthday.

“The celebration matters not because it is about His Holiness Dalai Lama, but it is about sharing with the rest of the world his messages of universal values and compassion, something that is direly needed in our world today, in which we continue to witness never-ending man-made human conflicts in addition to natural calamities and the resultant humanitarian crisis,” Choedup said.

He said the US Congress and several states and cities had proclaimed the Dalai Lama’s birthday as a Day of Compassion, recognizing his message of compassion, non-violence, interfaith harmony and human values.

“The Tibetan people lost their country in 1959, but the world gained the Dalai Lama,” Choedup said.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India in 1959 and has lived in Dharamsala since then. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for advocating a non-violent resolution of the Tibetan issue. (IANS)