Muneeza Naqvi (AP)
NEW DELHI, India — The Dalai Lama celebrated his 74th birthday Monday in a typically jocular mood, remarking lightheartedly that the prayers being said for him might help him live to at least 100. The Tibetan political and spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate has now spent 50 birthdays exiled in Dharmsala, India.
Hundreds of Tibetan exiles chanted prayers and sang songs in the Indian capital New Delhi and Tibet's de facto capital, Dharmsala -- the mountainous northern Indian town where he lives -- to mark his birthday, setting aside nagging worries about their aging leader's successor.
The Dalai Lama has had a number of medical problems in the last two years, which have interrupted his busy schedule of international travel to teach Buddhism and highlight the Tibetan struggle for more freedom under Chinese rule. As he gets older, there are concerns about who will lead the Tibetan exiles and push for their cause after his death.
Fears that China will appoint a new Dalai Lama after his death have led Tibetan leaders to contemplate ideas that break with the centuries-old system of choosing a child believed to be the reincarnation of the deceased spiritual leader. Among the suggestions have been doing away with Dalai Lamas altogether or naming a successor before the current leader dies. More>>
Cause for celebration
Lindsay Lohan celebrates her birthday in grand style, and a Jonas brother gets engaged. Week in photos
NEW DELHI, India — The Dalai Lama celebrated his 74th birthday Monday in a typically jocular mood, remarking lightheartedly that the prayers being said for him might help him live to at least 100. The Tibetan political and spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate has now spent 50 birthdays exiled in Dharmsala, India.Hundreds of Tibetan exiles chanted prayers and sang songs in the Indian capital New Delhi and Tibet's de facto capital, Dharmsala -- the mountainous northern Indian town where he lives -- to mark his birthday, setting aside nagging worries about their aging leader's successor.
The Dalai Lama has had a number of medical problems in the last two years, which have interrupted his busy schedule of international travel to teach Buddhism and highlight the Tibetan struggle for more freedom under Chinese rule. As he gets older, there are concerns about who will lead the Tibetan exiles and push for their cause after his death.
Fears that China will appoint a new Dalai Lama after his death have led Tibetan leaders to contemplate ideas that break with the centuries-old system of choosing a child believed to be the reincarnation of the deceased spiritual leader. Among the suggestions have been doing away with Dalai Lamas altogether or naming a successor before the current leader dies. More>>
Cause for celebrationLindsay Lohan celebrates her birthday in grand style, and a Jonas brother gets engaged. Week in photos
