Synopsis
After a month-and-a-half in southern India, the Dalai Lama has returned to Dharamsala, where he has lived for over six decades. His winter visit included prayer services and public engagements, highlighting his ongoing commitment to peace and Tibetan issues.Key Takeaways
- The Dalai Lama returned to Dharamsala after a significant winter retreat.
- He engaged in numerous spiritual activities during his visit to southern India.
- His teachings emphasize peace, ethics, and religious harmony.
- A new book is set to be released in March, detailing his negotiations with China.
- The Dalai Lama remains a symbol of hope for Tibetans and advocates for freedom.
Dharamsala, Feb 21 (NationPress) After a month-and-a-half journey to southern India, the esteemed Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, returned on Friday to his residence, where he has resided for over six decades, according to his aides.
During his annual winter retreat, the spiritual leader visited Bylakuppe and Hunsur in Karnataka, where he led prayer services, participated in debates, performed ordinations for 303 monks, and met with 8,021 individuals.
Upon his arrival, His Holiness was welcomed at the Gaggal airport by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Department of Security Minister Gyari Dolma and members of the Tibetan Parliament.
Local representatives from various faiths, including Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, gathered to greet him, and His Holiness offered them a warm welcome.
Wearing traditional garb, a significant number of Tibetans assembled to receive His Holiness on his way to the hilltop Tsuglagkhang temple, located near his official palace in McLeodganj, a picturesque suburb of Dharamsala.
Monks and nuns donned their yellow Dharma robes, while laypeople dressed specially for the occasion.
Many held white silk scarves and incense, their faces radiating joy.
His Holiness waved and smiled happily as he passed by. McLeodganj serves as the headquarters for the Tibetan government-in-exile and accommodates around 16,000 exiled Tibetans along with an equal number of Indians.
Known as Little Lhasa, McLeodganj has attracted hundreds of thousands of Western visitors since the Dalai Lama settled there in 1960 after escaping Chinese persecution with his followers.
His teachings on ethics, non-violence, peace, and religious harmony have established him as one of the most admired and respected religious figures globally.
For India, the Dalai Lama, who celebrates his 90th birthday in July, symbolizes Buddhism and is a cherished guest not just in India but among its citizens.
A Nobel laureate and advocate for peace and religious harmony worldwide, the Dalai Lama is one of the most esteemed spiritual leaders.
In March, the Dalai Lama is set to release a new book that provides insights into his decades-long interactions with China.
His impressive bibliography includes numerous works, such as two autobiographies and writings on ethics, Buddhist philosophy, and the intersection of religion and science.
The Dalai Lama has seldom engaged deeply in overt politics.
His office recently announced that in ‘Voice for the Voiceless: Over Seven Decades of Struggle With China for My Land and My People’, the Dalai Lama presents his first comprehensive account of his challenging negotiations with various Chinese leaders.
This book encompasses personal, spiritual, and historical reflections, some of which have never been shared before, detailing his nearly 75-year struggle with China to preserve Tibet and its people.
Since his youth, the Dalai Lama has faced challenges from China; he was only 16 when Communist China invaded Tibet in 1950, and just 19 during his first meeting with Chairman Mao in Beijing.
At 25, the Dalai Lama, along with numerous supporters, fled their homeland and sought refuge in India as Chinese forces took control of Lhasa in 1959.
As a leader in exile, he has encountered various Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping, as he strives to protect Tibet and its unique language, culture, religion, history, and environment against tremendous odds.
Now, nearly 75 years after China's initial invasion of Tibet, the Dalai Lama continues to remind the world of Tibet's ongoing struggle for freedom and the suffering his people endure in their homeland.
