Dalai Lama Bday Bash

Hi,
What normally happens around Dalai Lama Bday, are the goings
on worth making the way there for?
Is it one day or are there events over a couple of days?

I ask this because I fly in to Delhi on 7th July, ie. the day afterwards, I'll be knackered jetlagged, but if it was worth it...I might consider a mad dash northwards rather than a gentle meandering, what do the fine folks of Indiamike think?

Thanks

I know that the Dalai Lama is in Glasgow for celebrtions ..teachings and a public speaking on
May 29th - June 1st

Youc an find details of everything that is happening at the website I've put below

Should be great and hopefully his presence will have a positive impact on Glasgow

It is available in a number of languages

http://www.dalailama2004.org.uk/index.html

Enjoy
Bryan

I should also say when we were in Dharamsala in 2002 the Dalai Lama was in Europe during his birthday
However the celebrations still went on and if youa re in the vicinity I would highly recommend you going as some of the events are really amazing

When he is in town there are regular pujas in the temple
It would probably be wise to take a small radio with you to India as evverything is done in Tibetan obviously but are translated into most major langauges which you can listen to by having a radio

Bryan

Now there is an excuse for my posting a question that may be so silly, or politically incorrect, or offensive to certain religious groups that I hesitated to put it up as a new thread.

Dalai Lama is the latest reincarnation of Buddha (Gautama Buddha). Buddha had achieved enlightenment in his life time. According to Buddha's teachings (Theravada Buddhism in my case) once you achieve enlightenment you break the circle of re-births (samsara). Ie an enlightened person does not get reborn/reincarnated any more.

So how come Dalai Lama is Buddha's reincarnation? no offence to the man, I have a lot of respect for what he is doing, but I want to understand this apparent inconsistency also.

Boddhisatvas theychoose to comeback and will not leave until every soul has attained enlightenment ...

Hope that answers your question ...

BTW The DL is not the reincarnation of the Gautama.

So no contradiction

Cheers
Bryan

so DL is one of boddhisatvas who chose to come back. is it from Mahayana school then? who is the latest DL then? how has he got chosen to be DL?

Bazillion years later .... As senility sets in....

DL to decide at Age 90.

Here's a birthday poem composed by Ramana Maharshi when his disciples at his ashram proposed he celebrated his birthday.

"You who wishes to celebrate the birthday, seek first whence was your birth.
Ones true birthday is when he enters THAT which transcends birth & death - the Eternal Being.
At least on ones birthday one should mourn ones entry into this world (samsara)
To glory in it & celebrate it is like delighting in & decorating a corpse.
To seek ones SELF & merge in the SELF:
that is wisdom."

Awesome poem. What did he have to say about marriage anniversaries? Hypothetically, of course. Not that he'd have one.