The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday.

Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death.

Photo: AFP

Many exiled Tibetans fear China would name its own successor to the Dalai Lama to bolster its control over a territory it poured troops into in 1950 and has ruled ever since.

“So far, I have done my best and with the continued blessings of Avalokiteshvara [a Buddhist spiritual protector], I hope to live another 30 or 40 years, continuing to serve sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma,” he said, referring to the teachings of the Buddha.

Followers of the Dalai Lama laud his tireless campaign for greater autonomy for Tibet.

Speaking at the main temple in the Indian Himalayan town where he has lived for decades — since Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, in 1959 — he offered teachings to a far wider audience.

“In my life, I have encountered people from all walks of life, those with faith in religion and others with no interest in it at all. This is only natural, as individuals have different mental dispositions,” he said, speaking in Tibetan. “Yet, the common desire shared by all, including the Tibetan people, is the wish to avoid suffering and to experience happiness.”

The charismatic Buddhist had previously said the institution would continue only if there was popular demand — and his confirmation on Wednesday that it would has reassured followers around the globe.

He said he had received multiple appeals from Tibetans in Tibet and in exile, as well as from Buddhists from across the Himalayan region, Mongolia, and parts of Russia and China.

Responsibility for identifying the 15th Dalai Lama “will rest exclusively” with his office, the India-based Gaden Phodrang Trust, he said.

China, which condemns the Nobel Peace Prize winner as a rebel and separatist, issued a swift response.

China on Wednesday said that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama “must be approved by the central government” in Beijing, and that it would be carried out “by drawing lots from a golden urn,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) told reporters.

That urn is held by Beijing, and the Dalai Lama has already warned that, when used dishonestly, it lacks “any spiritual quality.”

The birthday celebrations have also been a time for reflection on an inevitable future without the Dalai Lama.

“Seeing him turn 90 today fills me with happiness, but also a deep sadness,” said Dorje Dolma, 27, who fled Tibet to India.

“His Holiness has always felt like a father figure to me,” she added. “His good health brings me joy, but his age sometimes worries me.”

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