Feiring av H.H den 14. Dalai Lamas 91-årsdag
Feiring av Dalai Lamas 91-årsdag på Karma Tashi Ling buddhistsenter
Takk til Lama Changchub, det tibetanske samfunnet i Norge og alle som deltok i en flott feiring av H.H Dalai Lamas 91-årsdag i dag! Det ble en gledelig dag, men samtidig gikk tankene til tibetanske Lobga Rangzen som i desperasjon over situasjonen for mennesker i Tibet satte fyr på seg selv utenfor FN-bygningen i New York for et par dager siden.
Tsomo Namgyal Svenningsen holdt en appell og oppfordret alle om å melde seg inn i Den norske Tibetkomitéen.
Lama Changchub holdt en vakker tale til tibetanerne. Du kan lese den her:
Tashi Delek!
Today is a very happy day.
It is also a very sad day.
Such is life. Joy and sorrow never seem to make appointments with us separately. They prefer to arrive together.
We have gathered to celebrate the ninety-first birthday of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Ninety-one years! That is quite an achievement. Some of us complain after climbing one flight of stairs. His Holiness has climbed mountains—political mountains, spiritual mountains, and mountains of human misunderstanding—for almost an entire century.
He has done so with remarkable grace, astonishing patience, and, perhaps most importantly, with a smile.
That smile has become one of Tibet's greatest exports.
Many countries export oil, cars, electronics, or chocolate. Tibet, through His Holiness, has exported compassion.
That is not a bad contribution to humanity.
Yet today our celebration is overshadowed by heartbreaking news.
Just two days ago, Mr. Lobga Rangzen gave his life in an act of protest outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Holding the Tibetan national flag, he made one final appeal to the conscience of the world.
Whether one agrees with his method or not, none of us can fail to hear the cry that lay behind it.
It was the cry of a people longing to be heard.
It was the cry of someone who believed that the suffering of Tibet could no longer remain invisible.
His death reminds us that the Tibetan question is not merely a political issue.
It is a human issue.
It concerns culture.
It concerns language.
It concerns religion.
It concerns identity.
Most fundamentally, it concerns the simple wish of every human being—to live with dignity.
Today we remember him with deep respect and heartfelt prayers.
May his consciousness find peace.
May the merit of all our prayers accompany him on his journey.
And may the causes of suffering that produced such despair gradually disappear from this world.
When I think about His Holiness, I am struck by one extraordinary fact.
For nearly seventy years he has carried the hopes of an entire nation without becoming bitter.
Think about that.
Most of us become irritated if someone cuts in front of us in the supermarket queue.
His Holiness lost his homeland.
Yet he teaches forgiveness.
That is not weakness.
That is strength.
Real strength.
Many people imagine compassion to be soft.
Actually, compassion is one of the hardest disciplines imaginable.
It asks us to keep our hearts open precisely when every instinct tells us to close them.
It asks us to remain human while the world behaves inhumanely.
That is incredibly difficult.
His Holiness has shown us that this is possible.
Not because he is some magical being floating above ordinary life.
But because he has trained his mind.
Again and again.
Day after day.
Year after year.
That is why he laughs so much.
His laughter is not the laughter of someone who has escaped suffering.
It is the laughter of someone who understands suffering without becoming imprisoned by it.
There is a profound lesson there for all of us.
Sometimes Tibetans ask,
"What can I do? I am only one person."
It is a reasonable question.
But perhaps it is the wrong question.
Maybe the better question is,
"How shall I live today so that Tibet continues to live through me?"
If we speak Tibetan to our children...
Tibet lives.
If we preserve our Buddhist traditions...
Tibet lives.
If we practice kindness...
Tibet lives.
If we remain united despite our differences...
Tibet lives.
If we remember our history without allowing hatred to poison our hearts...
Tibet lives.
The future of Tibet is not only decided in diplomatic meetings.
It is decided every morning when we wake up.
Every conversation.
Every prayer.
Every act of generosity.
Every child who learns our language.
Every elder who shares our history.
Every young person who discovers pride in being Tibetan.
That is how civilizations survive.
His Holiness has often reminded us that our real enemy is not another people.
Our real enemies are ignorance, hatred, greed, fear, and indifference.
These are the invaders that occupy every country.
Including our own minds.
Political freedom is precious.
But inner freedom is equally precious.
Without inner freedom, even free nations become unhappy.
Without compassion, even victory becomes another kind of defeat.
This is why His Holiness has never allowed the struggle for Tibet to become a struggle against human beings.
He has always distinguished between unjust policies and the humanity of those who carry them out.
That distinction is wisdom.
And wisdom is desperately needed in our world today.
As we remember Mr. Loga Rangzen today, perhaps the greatest tribute we can offer is not merely our grief.
It is our commitment.
Our commitment to remain awake.
Our commitment to remain united.
Our commitment to preserve our language, our culture, our spiritual heritage, and our dignity.
Our commitment to continue the journey without hatred.
The world has seen enough hatred.
What it has not seen enough of is fearless compassion.
That is Tibet's greatest gift.
To our younger generation, let me say something.
You are not expected to become copies of your parents.
Nor are you expected to become museum pieces preserving Tibetan culture behind glass.
You must become living Tibetans.
Confident.
Educated.
Compassionate.
Open to the world.
Rooted in your heritage.
The tree that forgets its roots eventually falls over.
But the tree that refuses to grow is no better off.
Grow.
Travel.
Study.
Succeed.
Contribute to Norway.
Contribute to the world.
But never forget where your roots are planted.
Finally, today we celebrate not only the birthday of an extraordinary spiritual leader.
We celebrate hope.
Ninety-one years ago a child was born in a small village in Amdo.
Who could have imagined that this child would become one of the greatest moral voices of our age?
History has a curious sense of humor.
It often hides greatness in the most ordinary places.
Perhaps that means there is hope for the rest of us.
So today, let us smile.
Not because everything is perfect.
But because despair has never built a better future.
Let us pray.
Not because prayer replaces action.
But because prayer purifies action.
Let us work.
Not because success is guaranteed.
But because meaningful effort is itself a noble path.
And above all, let us carry forward the greatest legacy His Holiness has given us:
An open heart.
A clear mind.
A fearless compassion.
May His Holiness enjoy many more years of excellent health.
May Tibet preserve her spiritual heritage for generations to come.
May all peoples live in dignity and peace.
And may the life of Mr. Loga Rangzen remind us—not to despair—but to deepen our resolve to live wisely, compassionately, and courageously.
Thank you. Tashi Delek
(–Lama Changchub Tsering)
