A Reverent Celebration of the 91st Birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama A Messenger of Compassion, Wisdom and Peace
A Reverent Celebration of the 91st Birthday of
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
A Messenger of Compassion, Wisdom and Peace
Homage to our Original Teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha.
Your Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso,
With boundless reverence as humble disciples of the Buddha, today, July 6, 2026, we respectfully turn our hearts toward Dharamsala in Northern India, where Your Holiness now resides, to offer our deepest prayers and warmest wishes on the auspicious occasion of Your Holiness’ 91st Birthday.
Your Holiness, to millions of Buddhists and peace-loving people throughout the world, you are not only the supreme spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, but also one of the great teachers of humanity in our time: a living embodiment of compassion, wisdom, humility, and the noble spirit of non-violence.
Ninety-one years of Your Holiness’ life have been ninety-one years of dedication to the Buddhadharma, to the Tibetan people, to world peace, and to the awakening of humanity. From a young child born in the village of Taktser, in the remote Amdo region of Tibet, Your Holiness was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, and from that moment onward, you gradually carried a destiny of immeasurable responsibility: to be the spiritual leader of a nation, and at the same time the guardian of the cultural, spiritual, and moral heritage of the Land of Snows.
The life of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is no ordinary life. It is a long and noble song of patience and compassion, of loss and hope, of exile and service. In 1959, when Tibet entered a time of great turmoil, Your Holiness was forced to leave your homeland, crossing many dangers before arriving in India as a refugee. Since then, Dharamsala in Northern India has become Your Holiness’ second homeland, and also a living sanctuary of compassion, where Buddhists and all those who love peace from around the world come to listen, to behold, and to learn.
What has inspired the admiration of humanity is not only the profound wisdom of a great spiritual master, but also Your Holiness’ gentle smile, simple manner, and vast heart that has never nourished hatred. Although Your Holiness’ people have endured immense suffering, and although Your Holiness has lived for more than half a century in exile, you have never called for resentment or revenge. On the contrary, Your Holiness has always taught humanity to cultivate love, forgiveness, dialogue, and the transformation of suffering through wisdom and compassion.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has brought the Buddha’s teaching of compassion into the heart of the modern world. Your Holiness has spoken with Buddhists, scientists, educators, political leaders, young people, prisoners, the poor, the sick, and even those who do not belong to any religion. Wherever Your Holiness goes, the message remains simple yet profound: humanity needs kindness; the world needs compassion; outer peace must begin with inner peace; and true happiness can never be built upon greed, hatred, and division.
In 1989, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet, for Buddhist disciples, the greatest honour of Your Holiness does not lie in any international title, but in the way you have lived in accordance with the spirit of the Buddha’s teaching: responding to hatred with compassion, facing violence with non-violence, illuminating ignorance with wisdom, and soothing the wounds of the world with a peaceful smile. For this reason, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is not only the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, but also a spiritual teacher for all humanity.
In particular, in 2011, when Your Holiness formally transferred political authority to the democratically elected leadership of the Tibetan community in exile, the world once again witnessed a living example of selflessness and wisdom. In an age when many cling tightly to power, Your Holiness voluntarily relinquished worldly authority in order to affirm that your highest role is spiritual: to guide people back to compassion, wisdom, ethics, and universal responsibility toward one another.
For myself and for the pilgrimage groups of Quang Duc Monastery, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is not only a great spiritual master whom we revere from afar, but also a beloved teacher whom we have had the rare blessing to meet in person, to pay homage to, and to receive your compassionate blessing.
In the course of my Dharma work and in guiding Buddhist pilgrims to the sacred sites of the Buddha, I have had the extraordinary karmic blessing to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama six times: twice to hear Your Holiness teach directly in Melbourne and Sydney, and four times in Dharamsala, Northern India, together with the pilgrimage groups of Quang Duc Monastery in the years 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2016. Each meeting with Your Holiness was like being nourished by a stream of compassion. Each time, we could clearly feel that the presence of a true spiritual practitioner has the power to make the surrounding atmosphere become pure, warm, peaceful, and filled with wholesome energy.
The first time was in 2006, when the pilgrimage group from Quang Duc Monastery in Australia travelled a long distance to Dharamsala to pay homage to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The road to Dharamsala was winding and difficult, passing through the cold mountainous region of Northern India. Yet when we finally arrived, all fatigue seemed to disappear. We felt that Dharamsala was not merely a place on the map, but a “living holy land,” because there, in that place, dwelled a great teacher who silently carried the pain of his people, while still smiling and offering compassion to the whole world.
During that audience, His Holiness graciously received our Vietnamese Buddhist delegation from afar. Your Holiness invited us to chant the Heart Sutra in Vietnamese. That moment was deeply sacred and moving. In Dharamsala, in the exile land of the Snow Mountains, the sound of the Heart Sutra in Vietnamese arose before His Holiness the Dalai Lama, like a spiritual bridge connecting two peoples who have both endured much suffering, yet who have both learned to rely upon the Buddhadharma in order to stand up, continue forward, and transform pain. Afterward, Your Holiness offered words of guidance, blessings, white khata scarves, and Buddha images to each member of the delegation. These gifts were not merely physical souvenirs, but symbols of blessing, Dharma friendship, and a rare and precious karmic connection.
In 2008, we again had the blessed opportunity to guide a pilgrimage group of 96 members back to Dharamsala to pay homage to Your Holiness. If the first meeting had been filled with overwhelming wonder and deep emotion in the presence of a great teacher of humanity, the second visit brought a sense of greater familiarity, deeper stillness, and even more heartfelt Dharma connection.
Especially during that pilgrimage, I had the precious blessing to bring my mother, Mrs. Tam Thai Ngo Thi Dac, to join the journey and to pay homage to Your Holiness. The image of Your Holiness compassionately holding the elderly hands of my mother, joyfully taking a commemorative photograph with her, and offering her your blessing, remains a sacred and deeply cherished memory that will never fade from my heart.
Through that moment, we came to understand even more clearly the miraculous strength of compassion in His Holiness the Dalai Lama: a strength that is not loud, not forceful, and not intimidating, but one that causes all who come near to naturally become calmer, gentler, more understanding, and more loving.
In Your Holiness, Buddhism is no longer merely a lofty concept. It becomes a kind smile, a compassionate gaze, a hand extended in blessing, and sincere words of guidance. For myself in particular, the image of Your Holiness holding the hands of my mother, Mrs. Tam Thai, during the 2008 pilgrimage, will forever remain a wordless Dharma teaching, a living lesson in compassion, humility, and unconditional love.
In 2011, at a time when the world was witnessing a major turning point in the history of the Tibetan community in exile, we again had the blessing to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. That year was especially meaningful, because Your Holiness had voluntarily transferred political leadership to the democratically elected leader of the Tibetan people. Standing before a great teacher who could relinquish political authority after many centuries of tradition, we came to understand even more deeply the Buddhist spirit of selflessness. Your Holiness did not teach non-self merely through words, but through a historic decision in your own life. You did not merely speak about democracy, but entrusted responsibility to your own community. You did not merely speak about compassion, but lived fully with compassion in every choice.
In 2016, the pilgrimage group of Quang Duc Monastery once again returned to Dharamsala to pay homage to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. For us, every return to that sacred place was like returning to a holy realm of memory. The mountains were still high, the clouds still cold, the roads still winding, yet the hearts of the pilgrims were warm, because we knew we were travelling toward the presence of a great being of boundless compassion. To meet Your Holiness once more was a great blessing, not only for the pilgrimage leader, but for all 67 Buddhist pilgrims in the Quang Duc Monastery delegation. Anyone who has stood before Your Holiness, even for a brief moment, can feel a very special energy of peace: gentle, inclusive, clear, and full of love.
Looking back upon the years 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2016, we see ever more clearly that those pilgrimages were not merely journeys to visit sacred places. They were spiritual journeys, returns to the source of the Buddhadharma, and opportunities to plant in the hearts of Buddhist devotees the seeds of compassion, non-violence, and responsibility for the peace of humanity. For the disciples of Quang Duc Monastery, the audiences with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala are precious chapters in our Dharma work, a profound honour, and an endless source of inspiration for our path of propagating the Dharma and serving beings overseas.
Because of these blessed connections, we treasure even more the writings, teachings, and messages of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The book The Power of Compassion, which I had the good fortune to translate into Vietnamese, together with other works about Your Holiness’ life and your beloved mother, are not merely books; they are spiritual lotus flowers offered to Vietnamese readers everywhere. Through them, we wish to share a portion of Your Holiness’ light of compassion with Vietnamese Buddhists, so that amid the many sufferings of life, people may learn to return to the cultivation of a kind heart, to live with understanding, love, and responsibility toward one another.
On the auspicious occasion of the 91st Birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, we respectfully bow in gratitude. We are grateful for a lifetime that Your Holiness has devoted to the Buddhadharma, to the Tibetan people, to world peace, and to the dignity of the human person. We are grateful for Your Holiness’ smile, which has softened countless wounded hearts. We are grateful for Your Holiness’ teachings, which have helped so many people return to the basic goodness within themselves. We are grateful for Your Holiness’ vow of non-violence, which has shown the world that true strength does not lie in violence, but in unwavering compassion and unshakable wisdom.
We humbly pray that the blessings of the Three Jewels may protect and support His Holiness the Dalai Lama, so that Your Holiness may enjoy good health, long life, and ever-radiant wisdom, and may continue to be a spiritual lighthouse guiding the Tibetan people, Buddhists throughout the world, and all those who seek the path of peace, awakening, and love.
May the land of Tibet soon enjoy freedom, peace, and dignity. May the Tibetan people, both in their homeland and in exile, always be protected by the compassionate light of the Three Jewels. May His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama one day return to his homeland in the joy and welcome of his people, so that the tears of exile shed over so many decades may be transformed into flowers of reunion, peace, and hope.
At this sacred moment of birthday celebration, from Quang Duc Monastery in Melbourne, Australia, we respectfully turn our hearts toward Dharamsala in Northern India, and bow our heads in homage to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, a great teacher of compassion, wisdom, and peace.
Homage to the Great Compassionate Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.
Homage to our Original Teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha.
With deepest respect,
Bhikkhu Thich Nguyen Tang
Abbot, Quang Duc Monastery
Melbourne, Australia
(quangduc.com)
