Photo: OHHDL
On the occasion of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s birthday on July 6, the Tibetan spiritual leader was invited to inaugurate the new Dalai Lama Library and Archives which is located below his residence and above the Lha-gyal-ri circumambulatory path around Tsuglakhang, the main temple in Dharamshala.
His Holiness started by thanking everyone for “being cheerful” on his birthday. He continued “since I bear the title ‘Dalai Lama’, I’ve done what I could to contribute to preserving Tibetan religion and culture. At a certain point the whole question of Tibet seemed about to vanish like a rainbow, but we set up schools and re-established our monasteries so that today Tibetan culture, religion and language thrive in exile.”
“When I first went to the United States, I was invited to visit the Congress. One of the members asserted that China has millions of soldiers, while the Dalai Lama is just one man, but they can’t overcome him. The point is, we have never told lies; we have the truth on our side.
“For years, I’ve worked sincerely, respecting the law of causality. The issue of Tibet is not just a political matter, it’s a question of truth,” said His Holiness.
His Holiness stressed the importance of Tibetan culture, saying that it concerns the workings of “mind and emotions” with its focus on ways to achieve peace of mind, he then recalled the hard work of setting up the Tibetan community in exile during the initial years following his arrival in India with the help and support of the then Indian Prime Minister Nehru.
Photo: OHHDL
His Holiness concluded his address by saying “Today is my birthday and you’re all in a cheerful mood despite the heavy rain we’ve had. Let me tell you a story. On one occasion Nechung referred to me as like a ‘water-crystal jewel’. I was born in the region of Siling. I studied in Lhasa and came into exile in India. What I learned along the way was how to train the mind, which is something I’ve been able to share with others. So, it seems that Nechung’s prediction about the light of the ‘water-crystal jewel’ illuminating the world has come true.”
His Holiness said that he is looking forward to going to Delhi to hold discussions with educationalists on how to make education more complete by combining a modern approach with the ancient Indian understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions.
Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, former Prime Minister of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, introduced the new library and archives, saying that the object is preserving His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings as well as the teachings of previous Dalai Lamas, in technologically advanced format to enable easier access for all.
The various awards that have been presented to His Holiness will be collected and put on display; the centre will also serve as a place to assemble resources for those who wish to research His Holiness’s life and work. Rinpoche explained that the construction of the centre was started in 2017 and was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic; however, work was resumed in 2020.
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