We are gathered here today to celebrate a historic day of great auspiciousness marking the 75th anniversary of the day when His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama, the crown jewel of all existence, the embodiment of compassion of all Buddhas, the patron deity of Tibet Avalokiteshvara in human form, the Dharma master of the three realms, a champion of world peace, and the incomparable leader of all Tibetans, assumed the temporal and spiritual leadership of Tibet.As it is stated: “Where there are disciples, the noble ones enter with joy,” his enlightened activities of spiritual guidance of his destined subjects have been uninterrupted. It continued from the first King of Tibet, Nyatri Tsenpo, through The Three Ancestral Dharma Kings, the emanated translators and scholars of Tibet, the succession of Dalai Lamas, to now our present incomparable protector and benefactor, His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama. His Holiness was born to his father Choekyong Tsering and mother Sonam Tsomo at Taktser Village in Tsongkha region of the Amdo Province of Tibet. He then devoted himself to religious studies under the guidance of his tutors. At the same time, he also took interest in global political affairs as well as science.It was a period when turmoil erupted in Tibet’s neighbouring country China, where in 1949 the Communist Party of China seized control of political authority over the mainland. And on the 1st of October that year, the party proclaimed the newly founding of the People’s Republic of China. Following it, on the 23rd of November 1949, after Mao Zedong carried out the arrangement of troops and launched an onslaught into Tibet, Chamdo was overrun by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. And all the military officers and civilian officials of the Tibetan government stationed in Chamdo were imprisoned. The development brought into sharp focus the great disparity in everything from population to military power between the communist government of China and the religiously steeped nation of Tibet. Besides, it was a time when there was strife among different factions of high-ranking Tibetan government officials due to internal power struggle and conflicts. Such was the time when the political situation in Tibet was in extreme crisis and was extremely precarious. Amid this turmoil, the entire Tibetan populace, both lay and monastic, fervently beseech His Holiness the Dalai Lama to assume his political and religious authority. And His Holiness was left with no choice but to accede to their prayers. And so, on the 17th of November in 1950, though only 16 years of age by Tibetan calendar reckoning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama assumed authority as the temporal head and spiritual leader of Tibet. His Holiness newly established a reform office and a judicial affairs office with the aim of strengthening Tibet’s political stability and ensuring the happiness of its people.In the year 1954, His Holiness the Dalai Lama accepted an invitation from the government of China and visited Beijing and other places in the country. And he met with a number of Chinese leaders including Mao Zedong. In 1956, His Holiness visited India at the invitation to attend the commemoration of the 2500th anniversary of the Mahaparinirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni. During this visit, he undertook pilgrimages to several sacred sites connected with the event. In Delhi, His Holiness met a number of leaders, including the Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and discussed with them the political situation in Tibet at that time.He also learned about the strengths of India’s democratic system and other such values. Afterward, His Holiness returned to Tibet and, for several consecutive years, continued to make sincere and friendly efforts to foster harmonious relations with the government of China in hopes of achieving peaceful coexistence. However, all such efforts ultimately proved futile. China had coerced Tibet into signing the so-called 17-Point Agreement in 1951, only to later disregard and violate it entirely.In the year 1958, His Holiness the Dalai Lama took his preliminary Geshe degree tests at the three seat monasteries in Lhasa in 1959 and took his final Geshe Lharampa degree examination during the annual Great Prayer Festival in the Jokhang Temple in the presence of tens of thousands of monks. He won highest level of praises from many eminent scholars, and his fame spread. The schedules of His Holiness the Dalai Lama were very hectic in those days. Nevertheless, the Chinese persisted in asking him to attend a theatrical show at their military camp, with the result that a visit was finally scheduled to take place on the 10th of March. The Chinese government then sought to impose several conditions during the visit, including that he be accompanied only by two or three personal bodyguards and they should come completely unarmed. This was clearly a threat to his personal safety. Acting with spontaneous outrage, people from all the three provinces of Tibet living in Lhasa turned up in strength to surround the Norbulingkha Palace, where His Holiness was staying at that time, to provide him security and in protest against the actions of the government of China. This day has since come to be commemorated as the Tibetan national uprising day. After that, on the 16th, the Chinese army began firing artillery shells in the direction of the Norbulingkha Palace. This led His Holiness the Dalai Lama to leave the palace in the night of the 17th of March in 1959, accompanied by his attendants and members of the Kashag to flee Lhasa into exile to India.Following his exile, His Holiness addressed the international media in Tezpur (Assam) on the 18th of April, during which he accused communist ruled China of carrying out an armed aggression against the independent nation of Tibet. He disavowed the so-called 17-Point Agreement and made several other pronouncements as well. Afterwards, His Holiness took up residence in Mussoorie, where he newly set up a Tibetan government in exile, including with some government departments. His Holiness the Dalai Lama later relocated to Dharamshala and, over time, newly established Tibetan religious centres, settlements, schools, and, likewise, other centres of knowledge, culture, handicrafts and so forth. Fulfilling a long-held vision, His Holiness established the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in 1960, with members elected by representatives of all religious and regional groups. Through this, he transformed the Tibetan system of governance into a modern democratic entity.The government of China has been implementing both soft and harsh policies aimed at undermining the religion, culture, language, ethnicity, and ecological environment of Tibet. However, thanks to the tireless efforts made in exile, especially through the compassionate activities of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s religion, culture, language, and heritage have been successfully revived. Millions of people around the world have benefitted from His Holiness’s efforts to raise awareness of Tibet’s spiritual and cultural traditions, his promotion of dialogue between Buddhism and science, and his emphasis on the importance of recognizing the oneness of humanity. In particular, his teachings on cultivating compassion as a means to develop inner peace and mutual trust have touched countless lives. His turning of the Wheel of Dharma for followers of Buddhism continues uninterrupted to this day. Alongside the conferment of 34 Great Kalachakra empowerments across the world, the political activities and religious works carried out by His Holiness the Dalai Lama have been truly remarkable.His Holiness has undertaken countless weighty efforts toward resolving the just cause of Tibet and in other fields. Apart from engaging with the government of India for this purpose, His Holiness succeeded in having the United Nations General Assembly adopting three resolutions on Tibet, which took place in 1959, 1961 and 1965. After that, in 1967, His Holiness the Dalai Lama undertook his first visit to Japan. Since then, he has travelled numerous times to great many countries of the world on successive occasions, including in Europe, North and South Americas, and Africa. In each of these countries, His Holiness held meetings with their leaders, including top political leaders. In the case of the United States of America, his efforts have yielded the adoption of legislations on Tibet on successive occasions by the Congress. Likewise, his efforts have also led to the adoption of a number of resolutions and other measures on Tibet by the European Parliament as well as the parliaments, governments, and others in numerous countries. It is particularly noteworthy that, by re-establishing contact with the government of China and adopting a mutually beneficial approach, His Holiness enabled delegations of Tibetans in exile to undertake a series of fact-finding visits to Tibet. As a result, Tibetans in Tibet and those in exile were able to visit one another. Likewise, from 2002, nine rounds of Sino-Tibetan talks were held. Nevertheless, due to the deeply ingrained mistrust of the Chinese leadership, these talks did not yield meaningful progress toward a positive resolution of the Sino-Tibetan conflict. Therefore, on this occasion, we reiterate our call on the leaders of the government of China to make sincere efforts to resolve the Sino-Tibetan conflict during the lifetime of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.His Holiness has based his approach in the struggle for the just cause of Tibet on non-violent means. In countries across the world, he has provided guidance with his teachings on love and compassion, leadership in peaceful means for resolving issues, and so forth, with the result that he has earned universal recognition as a true embodiment of love and compassion, and a champion of world peace. Including with the world’s most prestigious award for peace, the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1989, His Holiness has been recognized with a total of close to one thousand awards and honours thus far. The four commitments made by His Holiness as his lifelong mission have been embraced and acted on by people in countries around the world, making his work in these and other fields a truly unparalleled achievement worthy of utmost admiration. It is entirely thanks to the deeds, kindness, and grace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama that all the different religious schools of Tibet and the entire people of its three provinces, distinguished by their shared tsampa-eating cultural heritage, have stood united as one, enabling the spread of the awareness of the issue of Tibet everywhere across the globe. We accordingly wish to take the opportunity provided by this momentous occasion to express infinite heartfelt gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on behalf of all the Tibetan people.From the time he assumed responsibility at the age of 16 until now, at 90, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has continuously shown boundless kindness through his tireless efforts for the well-being of all sentient beings in general, and in particular for the people of the Snowland of Tibet during the most critical and precarious periods concerning the survival of their political and spiritual traditions. In commemorating the 75 years of his leadership, and in observing his 90th birth year as a “Year of Compassion,” we earnestly appeal to everyone to heed His Holiness’s advice and to remember the profound gratitude we owe him for his noble deeds and compassion by consolidating selfless dedication and determination towards the realization of an undiminished preservation or revival, as the case may be, of the national identity and culture of Tibet. We wish to earnestly urge everyone to continue on this path for as long as it takes until the just cause of Tibet prevails, taking this as an act of assuming serious responsibility for the sake of the Tibetan national and religious causes, for as it is said, everything we do should serve to make a cloud of offerings that pleases His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to pray for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and to fulfil the wishes of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.On this momentous occasion, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of India, as well as to everyone in the United States, Europe, and around the world who have continued to support the cause of TibetIn conclusion, we wish to pray for the realization of our hope that His Holiness the Dalai Lama may continue to live in our midst for a hundred aeons, and, on that basis, flourish in his deeds and see all his great wishes fulfilled; that the just cause of Tibet may prevail so that the sunshine of happiness of the Tibetan people in Tibet and in exile being reunited may be realized in all speediness.Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile17 November 2025. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* In case of any discrepancy between this English translation and its Tibetan original, the latter should be considered as authoritative and final for all purposes.