Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (July 6, 2026) greeted Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on his birthday, and said his message of peace has been a guiding force for people across the world. 

The Dalai Lama was born on July 6, 1935 to a Tibetan farming family in the small village of Taktser, located at Amdo in Tibet. 

“Warm birthday greetings to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His message of peace and harmony has been a guiding force for people across the world. His moral and spiritual strength and his commitment to global good are commendable. 

Wishing him a long and healthy life,” Mr. Modi said in a post on X.

Since 1959, the Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India. (PTI)

Warm birthday greetings to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His message of peace and harmony has been a guiding force for people across the world. His moral and spiritual strength and his commitment to global good are commendable. Wishing him a long and healthy life.@DalaiLama

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 6, 2026

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The Tibetan spiritual leader, 90, took the Grammy for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording for “Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama” at the 68th Grammys pre-ceremony. He joined fellow Grammy winner, director Steven Spielberg, in the first-time winner’s honors.

Musician Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on the Dalai Lama’s behalf during the ceremony that streamed on YouTube.

“OK, I am not the Dalai Lama, obviously,” Rufus Wainwright joked from the podium. “It was a privilege to participate in this project. It’s an honor to accept this recognition on behalf of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whose wisdom is at the heart of this work.”

Who did the Dalai Lama beat out for a Grammy?

The Dalai Lama had serious competition in the award category, competing against Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and even Grammys ceremony host Noah.

The album features collaborations with Hindustani classical influences and includes remarks on themes such as mindfulness, harmony, and health.

Wainwright is one of several musicians who appear on the project, along with Maggie Rogers and Andra Day. (USAToday)

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The Atamasthanadhipathi of Sri Lanka, the Most Venerable Dr. Pallegama Hemarathana Nayake Thera, met His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the world-renowned icon of universal compassion, on Tuesday (20 Jan). 

According to the Satipatthana Magazine, the historic meeting marks a watershed moment in the centuries-old relationship between Indo-Tibetan and Sri Lankan Buddhist traditions, the Satipatthana Magazine said, noting that it is the first time in recorded history that the spiritual heads of these two preeminent lineages have met in such a capacity, drawing the attention of the global Buddhist community.

The Weight of Tradition

The position of Atamasthanadhipathi carries immense prestige within the Buddhist world. By ancient royal decree, Sri Lanka recognizes three supreme pillars of Buddhist heritage: Sri Dalada Maligawa (The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic), Sri Pada (The Sacred Footprint), and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. As the custodian of the Eight Sacred Places (Atamasthana) in Anuradhapura, the Atamasthanadhipathi holds a position of profound spiritual and legal authority.

The meeting between the guardian of Sri Lanka’s most ancient living heritage and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people signifies a powerful unification of the Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist traditions.

Fulfilling a Lifelong Aspiration

Adding a layer of deep emotional significance to the visit, the Most Venerable Thero presented His Holiness with a sacred sapling of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi.

For decades, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed a profound desire to perform a pilgrimage to the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura—the oldest historically documented tree in the world, grown from a branch of the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment. While past circumstances prevented such a journey, the arrival of this authentic sapling brings the spirit of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi directly to His Holiness, fulfilling a long-held aspiration.

A Living Legacy

The sacred sapling was scheduled to be planted on Wednesday (21 Jan) during a grand ceremony at the Buddhist University within the Gaden Jangtse Monastery complex. The event was scheduled to be conducted with full monastic honours and attended by tens of thousands of Tibetan monastics and devotees from across India and abroad.

This “Green Diplomacy” initiative stands as a testament to the enduring bond between the people of Sri Lanka and India, ensuring that the roots of the Dhamma continue to grow deep and wide for generations to come. (Newswire/ Satipatthana Magazine)

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On Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s birthday, heartfelt messages poured in from world leaders, politicians, lawmakers and artists in a video compiled by Tibet TV, run by the Tibetan government-in-exile, CNN reported.

The wishes included those from former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Obama wished a ‘very happy birthday to the youngest 90-year-old I know,’ and thanked the Dalai Lama for his friendship, CNN reported.

‘You’ve shown generations what it means to practice compassion and speak up for freedom and dignity. Not bad for someone who describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk,’ he added.

Former US President Bill Clinton described the Dalai Lama as ‘one of the world’s greatest voices for peace, for dialogue, for understanding’ whose teachings have ‘inspired millions to follow in your footsteps,’ as per CNN.

He added: ‘In a time when we see the forces of division tearing at the fabric of our common humanity, we need your wisdom more than ever to remind us that what we share is more important than our interesting differences.’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement extended ‘best’ wishes to the Dalai Lama on his 90th Birthday and noted that he continues to inspire people by embodying a message of unity, peace, and compassion.

‘The United States extends best wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. The Dalai Lama continues to inspire people by embodying a message of unity, peace, and compassion,’ the statement read.

‘The United States remains firmly committed to promoting respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans. We support efforts to preserve Tibetans’ distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage, including their ability to freely choose and venerate religious leaders without interference,’ Rubio said in a statement.

The 90th birthday celebrations of the 14th Dalai Lama was held at the Tsuglagkhang temple in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh and other dignitaries were in attendance.

Monks, devotees, and international guests gathered for the celebration to honour the life and teachings of the Dalai Lama, who is widely regarded as a global symbol of compassion, non-violence and interfaith harmony.

Tibetan Buddhist monks living in exile offered special prayers at the Dorjidak Monastery near Shimla at Panthaghati this morning to mark the 90th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama. (ANI)

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Addressing the gathering on day two at the Global Buddhist Summit 2023 in New Delhi, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Friday called for a focus on wisdom and compassion as he highlighted the situation in Tibet by giving his own example and stressed upon looking at the current situation from a broader perspective.

The Tibetan religious leader also stressed looking at the current situation from the broader perspective of courage to have a resilient mind, according to reports.

“For example, in the case of my dealing with the current struggle and situation of Tibet, if you think just only about it from a narrow-angle, you can lose your hope,” he added.

“But if you look at this crisis and look at this current situation from the broader perspective of the courage that cultivation and compassion give you, then you can have a much more resilient mind. So, even in your daily life, there might be problems which may seem enormous and unbearable. Still, if you have the courage, you will be in a much stronger position to turn adversities into opportunities,” the Tibetan spiritual leader commented.

“Among all the great spiritual teachers of the world, one thing that really defines the Buddha as a unique teacher from the Buddhist point of view is his teaching on dependent origination and it really captures the essence of Buddhist insight and Buddha’s teaching. When we look at the term itself, Dependent origination is composed of two syllables, one is dependent and the second is origination. These two capture a powerful insight into the understanding of the nature of reality,” Dalai Lama said at the Global Buddhist Summit, which was organized by the Ministry of Culture and the International Buddhist Confederation.

While sharing his personal experience, the Dalai Lama said further that if each one of us takes his teachings seriously, we will be able to see the real difference in our daily lives.

On day one of the first Global Buddhist Summit, which aimed to bring together leading Buddhist figures and experts from around the world to discuss Buddhist and universal issues and generate policy recommendations to address them together, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Lord Buddha preached abandoning war, defeat and victory for eternal peace while inaugurating the summit. (India Blooms News Service)

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