His Holiness the Dalai Lama shared a video message to celebrate his 86th birthday on Tuesday. The spiritual leader of Tibet talked about the importance of non-violence and compassion in the video shared by his office to his social media platforms.
Watch the video and read a transcript of his message below:
Transcript:
Now I’m just one human being. Many people really show they love me, and many people actually love my smile. In spite of my old age, my face is quite handsome. Many people really show me genuine friendship.
Now that it’s nearly my birthday, I want to express my deep appreciation for all of my friends who have really shown me love, respect, and trust. I want to express my thanks. For myself, I can assure you that for the rest of my life, I’m committed to serving humanity and working to protect the climate condition. Since I became a refugee and now settled in India, I have taken full advantage of India’s freedom and religious harmony. I want to assure you that for the rest of my life, I’ll be fully committed to this work. And then also, I really appreciate the Indian concept of secular values, not dependent on religion, such as honesty, karuna (compassion), and ahimsa (non-violence).
So, my dear friends, on my birthday, this is my gift. Please keep it in mind. I myself am committed to non-violence and compassion until my death. This is my offering to my friends. I hope my friends will also keep non-violence and compassion for the rest of your lives. So firstly, this is like a report about my life. And secondly, all my human brothers, sisters, should keep these two things, non-violence and compassion, until your death. Thank you.
