Washington, July 10 (IANS) US Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues Riley Barnes joined celebrations of the Dalai Lama’s 91st birthday in Washington, calling it an honour to mark the Tibetan spiritual leader’s life and legacy.

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

“It’s an honour to be here celebrating him and his life,” Barnes said. “I hope and pray that we have many more years to have gatherings like this.”

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

He also recounted attending the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebrations last year. Barnes said his five-year-old daughter later used a traditional Tibetan scarf he had brought home to welcome a house guest after remembering that it represented honour and hospitality.

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

The gathering also observed a moment of silence for Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen. Organisers said he died after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 2.

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. The declarations recognised his message of compassion, non-violence, interfaith harmony and human values, he added.

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

Tencho Gyatso, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, thanked those attending for their support of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.

“For more than seven decades, His Holiness has shown the world that compassion is a source of strength, that dialogue is the path to lasting peace, and that true leadership is rooted in humility, wisdom, and service to others,” Gyatso 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.

The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 established the position of US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. The office coordinates US policies and programmes related to Tibet, including efforts to promote dialogue and safeguard its cultural and religious heritage.

–IANS

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