Dharamshala — The spiritual leader of Tibet and Tibetan people, His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to his devotees and friends around the world for the extensive greetings and well wishes on his 80th birth anniversary.
"I would like to thank all my friends in the many different countries of the world for your greetings on the occasion of my 80th birthday. I am grateful for the kind words you have expressed," His Holiness said in a statement posted on his official website, on August 13.
"As you know, my life is dedicated to the service of all sentient beings, and in particular I try to help my fellow human beings in whatever way I can," said the the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
"What unites all sentient beings is that we all naturally seek happiness and try to avoid suffering. Therefore, we have a collective responsibility to try to bring about the well-being and happiness of all living beings and help them overcome their suffering," he added.
"This is the basis of hope on which I make an appeal that we all work enthusiastically to promote ethical values imbued with love and compassion and that we do our best to reduce, if not eliminate, the conflicts and violence that currently beset many parts of the world," the statement said.
"Despite differences in their philosophical views, all the world's major religious traditions convey the same message of love and compassion," His Holiness further added, saying also that "this is why we must strive to foster inter-religious harmony for the good of all humanity. In addition, to protect our natural environment we have to work together."
