On this auspicious occasion marking the seventy-fifth year of His Holiness the Great Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s assumption of spiritual and temporal leadership over the great nation of Tibet on 17 November 1950 (corresponding to the 8th day of the 10th month of the Iron-Tiger year of the 16th Rabjung), the Kashag, on behalf of Tibetans both in and outside Tibet, offers its heartfelt gratitude to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama—the apostle of world peace, the supreme patriarch of the Buddhist world, the protector and refuge of the Tibetan people, and the embodiment of Avalokiteshvara. We offer our boundless prayers for His Holiness to live for eons for the benefit of all sentient beings.
A unified political empire of Tibet in the Land of Snow was gradually formed, beginning with its first Tibetan Emperor Nyatri Tsenpo in 127 BC. During the reign of the Three Dharma Kings, the rule of the Tibetan empire reached its zenith, extending over vast regions of Asia. In that period, the Tibetan script was newly created based on the Indian Gupta script, and the pure Buddhist teachings of the great Nalanda tradition were brought into Tibet and spread throughout the land. The military might of the Tibetan empire saw the invasion of the Chinese capital of Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) and the overthrow of the then Tang emperor. Although the Tibetan empire disintegrated in the ninth century and its power declined, Tibet’s territorial integrity remained intact. For instance, the Tibetan people mounted an effective defense when Bakhtiyar Khilji launched a campaign to invade Tibet from northeastern India in 1206. From the time of the Drogön Chögyal Phagpa to the Gaden Phodrang, a priest-patron relationship was established with the Mongol, Ming and Manchu rulers who ruled over China. The Tibetan spiritual-temporal leaders and high lamas of Tibet turned the wheel of Dharma for successive rulers of China, high-ranking officials, and subjects, positively influencing them through the Buddhist teachings.
In the early 20th century, Tibet fell into a weakened state when the Muslim warlord Ma Bufang invaded Amdo, the Manchu general Zhao Erfeng invaded Kham, and the British invaded Central Tibet. After the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) seized power in 1911, they progressively annexed numerous regions in Amdo and Kham and engaged in repeated armed border confrontations with the Tibetan government.
In 1949, after the establishment of the communist government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), many areas of the Amdo and Kham regions were forcibly occupied. In October 1950, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) captured Chamdo through a three-pronged attack, defeating the Tibetan army and rendering Tibet incapable of mounting an armed defence. With the indifference of the international community and both the people and land of Tibet at the brink of destruction, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, at just 15 years of age, assumed spiritual and temporal leadership of Tibet. With unparalleled courage, His Holiness the Dalai Lama worked tirelessly for over eight years to negotiate with the PRC within the framework of the coerced Seventeen-Point Agreement, striving to protect Tibetan lives from the armed threat of the PLA and to preserve Tibet’s unique religious and cultural heritage. However, with the complete disregard and continued violation of the said agreement by the PRC’s government, His Holiness was compelled to go into exile.
Upon arrival in exile in the holy land of India, His Holiness formally repudiated the so-called Seventeen-Point Agreement signed under duress, declaring it null and void. Since the 1970s, His Holiness proposed the Middle Way Policy to resolve the Sino-Tibet conflict, which the Central Tibetan Administration continues to pursue. The sublime life of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, the great Bodhisattva, exemplified through his tireless efforts in fulfilling the Four Principal Commitments, and his immeasurable kindness transcend all expression.
Finally, on this auspicious convergence of the 85th anniversary of His Holiness’s enthronement, the 75th year of His Holiness’s assumption of spiritual and temporal leadership of Tibet, and the celebration marking His Holiness’s 90th birthday, we offer our heartfelt prayers for the long life of His Holiness the Great Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet and the continuation of his enlightened activities for eons to come.
The Kashag
17 November 2025
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Note: This is the English translation of the original Tibetan statement. In case of any discrepancies, the original Tibetan text should be regarded as final and authoritative.
