Happy 623rd Birthday To HH Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso

by Robert Wilkinson

Today we celebrate the birthday of one of the most remarkable men in the world, the venerable Dalai Lama. Welcome to one form of proof that reincarnation really happens.

This year rather than reinvent the wheel, I've taken things I posted on past birthdays.

As I wrote several birthdays back, I believe we can celebrate this 623rd birthday, since he does "remember" all the way back to his incarnation as the first Dalai Lama, born 1391. It's a miraculous thing when a person can with unimpeachable authority KNOW not just who they were in a prior life (with no prompting) but can also identify their previous life possessions, such as glasses, bowls, and malas (prayer beads).

His Holiness is truly one of the most benign and enlightened consciousnesses to ever walk this Earth. I have had the extraordinary privilege of being able to attend numerous talks and extended instruction with Him in many venues, and I am always in awe of his gentle sense of humor, his generosity of Spirit, and his profound wisdom. He is truly a kind and playful gentle man and all around good guy. If anyone ever deserved a Nobel Peace Prize, it's this Arhat consciously living His Eternal Consciousness.

For those who don't know the history of this remarkable man, here's a brief sketch. His current incarnation began July 6, 1935. This Spiritual man for the Ages was enthroned on February 22, 1940 in Lhasa, and he was forced to deal with Communist Chinese brutality from a very young age.

By the late 1940s Chairman Mao Zedong made his move, and in 1959 His Holiness was forced into exile in India along with many thousands of monks. Since then Tibet and practitioners of the Middle Way have been brutalized by Bejing governments without mercy.

For a brief overview of the previous 13 Dalai Lamas, please go to this link courtesy of NPR. And this article, courtesy of the Dalai Lama's website, gives a bio of His Holiness as well as a whole lot more.

For videos, check out the Dalai Lama's featured webcasts, and there's more at the Dalai Lama Foundation website.

Here's Charlie Rose interviewing His Holiness:

Charlie Rose Interview with the Dalai Lama Part 1

Charlie Rose Interview with the Dalai Lama Part 2

Charlie Rose Interview with the Dalai Lama Part 3

From New Delhi in March 2012, His Holiness offering his take on the core of Buddhist thought.

The Four Noble Truths – Day 1 (3+ hours)

The Four Noble Truths – Day 2 (3+ hours)

From September 2010 in Dharamsala, an extraordinarily important set of teachings!

The Heart Sutra and 37 Practices of A Boddhisattva - Day 1 Morning (1 hour 47 min)

The Heart Sutra and 37 Practices of A Boddhisattva - Day 1 Afternoon (2 hours 8 min)

The Heart Sutra and 37 Practices of A Boddhisattva - Day 2 Morning (1 hour 34 min)

The Heart Sutra and 37 Practices of A Boddhisattva - Day 2 Afternoon (2 hours 11 min)

The Heart Sutra and 37 Practices of A Boddhisattva - Day 3 Morning (2 hours 30 min)

The Heart Sutra and 37 Practices of A Boddhisattva - Day 3 Afternoon (1 hour 11 min)

Here’s a fantastic find! From May 10, 2013, a full 1 hour 21 minute talk! The Dalai Lama at the University of Oregon

Here’s a one hour conversation from San Diego television with His Holiness! The Dalai Lama Discusses Neuroscience and the Emerging Mind

From February 2010 in Florida, 25 minutes of The Dalai Lama Speaks On Dealing with enemies and adversities

Here’s two hours at UC Santa Barbara of The Dalai Lama Speaks on the Nature of the Mind

Here’s 50 minutes of instruction about Gnosis and Meditation Techniques

From Bangalore in 2011, HHDL giving us two hours on Finding Happiness in Troubled Times

From April 2013 at the University of Lausanne, over two hours of The Dalai Lama Speaks with Scientists on the Nature of Aging and Dying

From Cambridge in 2013, 1 hour 45 minutes of The Dalai Lama on Educating the Heart

From 30 May- 2 June 2014 in Mumbai, between 2 and 3 hours in each session!

Dalai Lama Living, Loving, Laughing, and Dying: The Buddhist Way - Day 1 - Morning

Dalai Lama Living, Loving, Laughing, and Dying: The Buddhist Way - Day 1 - Afternoon

Dalai Lama Living, Loving, Laughing, and Dying: The Buddhist Way - Day 2 - Morning

Dalai Lama Living, Loving, Laughing, and Dying: The Buddhist Way - Day 2 - Afternoon

Dalai Lama Living, Loving, Laughing, and Dying: The Buddhist Way - Day 3 - Morning

Unfortunately, Day 3 Afternoon and Day 4 Morning are nowhere to be found)

Dalai Lama Living, Loving, Laughing, and Dying: The Buddhist Way - Day 4 - Afternoon

By all means check out the movie "Kundun," an excellent piece of work showing just some of his tests of compassion this lifetime, and the documentary "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama," is another major piece of work.

According to the review of "10 Questions" in the Boston Herald, the film maker was "granted a one hour meeting in which he could ask 10 questions."

The filmmaker picks his selections carefully; we learn about the Dalai Lama’s views on his religion, China’s occupation and how to resolve the conflict in the Middle East (“more festivals and picnics!,” he says with a coy smile). He speaks candidly and yet at times can’t stop giggling.

The Dalai Lama’s blend of humor and intellect make him irresistible. The movie - much of it shot with one camera - doesn’t have too many tricks up its sleeve. But you’ll find yourself drawn in, all the same.

(“10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” contains no objectionable material.)

"No objectionable material" indeed! "More festivals and picnics" for the Middle East? Now that's an enlightened view!

Happy Birthday, Your Holiness. May you have enough birthdays to see an end to suffering, may you outlive the rule of China over Tibet, may you ultimately see the Tibetan culture restored, and may you return to your beloved Tibet, "the land of snows." If there is one call the entire world should resonate to, it's FREE TIBET!

A few good quotes:

"War is legalized murder."

"If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them."

"It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come."

"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. "

"Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day."

"Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life."

"As human beings we all want to be happy and free from misery… we have learned that the key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion, while love and compassion and a sense of universal responsibility are the sources of peace and happiness."

Aum Mani Padme Hum!

© Copyright 2014 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[dcu]

Thank you Robert. Happy Birthday to His Holiness and to my mother born July 6, 1929.

[Susan Hutchinson]

My son shares his birthday too! I remember right after the birth, my friend told me that my baby shared the same birthday as George W. Bush. I was seriously offended but the nurse quickly said , "and the Dalai Lama ! "

Interesting that they are two sides of the same coin - one dedicating his life to world peace the other dedicating himself to war..

Robert, any thoughts on the astrological significance of the birthday they share?

[Robert]

Hi dcu - Not that far off the year vintage of HHDL! No wonder you have a spiritual sensibility.....

Hi Susan - Well, of course it means their Light is the same. W and HHDL are a perfect example of how one's spiritual state of awareness stands behind the Light of the personality. An Arhat and a war criminal could be the same Light, but in far different realms. They are both vehicles for the energy behind them.

On a related note, Ronald Reagan, Bob Marley, and Babe Ruth all shared Feb 6 as their birthday. And Jimi Hendrix, Caroline Kennedy, and "Buffalo Bob" of Howdy Doody fame all share Nov 27.

I share my Apr 1 birthday with Otto Von Bismark, Susan Boyle, Rachmaninoff, and Debbie Reynolds! That's proof that life is definitely a Leela!

[debbie]

I have found it beautiful how so many find themselves moved to tears without any idea why at the audiences I've attended, the joy the spirit feels when in the presence of genuine loving kindness. I am not Buddhist and yet the holiness is still apparent, which speaks a thousand words, to me.