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On Losar, Dalai Lama exhorts Tibetans to cultivate compassion
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Thursday greeted his fellow Tibetans inside Tibet, living in exile in India and abroad on the start of Losar, the Tibetan New Year 2149
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Thursday greeted his fellow Tibetans inside Tibet, living in exile in India and abroad on the start of Losar, the Tibetan New Year 2149.
In a video message, the Dalai Lama said: “I am hopeful that on this occasion, Losar will be pleasant, joyful and comfortable for us all, for those of us in exile, but most especially for our fellow Tibetans throughout the three provinces of the land of snows.”
The Dalai Lama said, “Many changes are taking place. People from abroad also take interest in our culture and traditions. As part of Tibetan tradition, we arrange ‘chemar’ (butter-roasted barley flour) and other offerings on the altar for Losar.”
“We greet people with ‘Losar Tashi Delek!’ ‘Good Luck for the New Year!’ Isn’t it rare for Tibetans to get into fights on New Year’s Day? Everybody is generally festive and in good spirits on New Year’s Day,” said the 86-year-old spiritual leader.
The Dalai Lama said all Tibetans, whether living in exile, or in other countries abroad, and especially Tibetans inside Tibet, all people of the land of snows, are the ones-to-be-tamed by Arya Avalokiteshvara in whom they place faith and trust, and to whom they pray.
“I live as the physical, verbal and mental representative, respectively, of Arya Avalokiteshvara’s holy body, speech and mind. For many years this is how I have conducted myself and I am confident that I will remain like this for the next decade or more,” he said.
Since Arya Avalokiteshvara is the deity of compassion, he said, it is very important for all Tibetans to cultivate compassion.
Earlier, in his New Year message, the Sikyong (president) of Tibetan government-in-exile Penpa Tsering said as the world’s most successful refugee community, Tibetans owe their success story principally to the sacrifices, guidance and visionary leadership of the Dalai Lama and secondly to the sacrifices being made by the Tibetans inside Tibet facing the persecution.
“To hinder our remarkable progress, China has repeatedly penetrated its tentacles in the Tibetan community often by planting spies to sabotage our cause,” Tsering said.
“Keeping this in view, we have to be mindful not to indulge in the pettiness of regionalism and parochialism, and instead deviate all our focus and effort to speak out against the human rights crimes committed by China against Tibetans and other ethnic minorities,” he said.
