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Dalai Lama travels to remote Ladakh region bordering China

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrives at the airport in Leh, Ladakh, India, Friday, July 15, 2022. The visit is also his first since India split the high-altitude region from disputed Kashmir and took direct control of it in 2019 while revoking the entire territory’s semiautonomous status. A year after that change, Indian and Chinese troops came close to war in Ladakh and ever since they have been locked in a military standoff along their disputed border. (AP Photo/Tenzin Choejor)

FILE- Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gestures to indicate that he is in good health during a religious talk at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharmsala, India, Friday, March 18, 2022. The Dalai Lama on Friday, July 15, 2022, arrived in the remote Ladakh region bordering China where he received a rousing reception. He will stay in Ladakh for about 45 days. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)

Devotees wait to welcome Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in Leh, Ladakh, India, Friday, July 15, 2022. Thousands of people lined both sides of the road outside the airport in the cold desert region’s Leh town to welcome the Dalai Lama, who is touring outside his base in the northern Indian city of Dharmsala for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. He will stay in Ladakh for about 45 days.(AP Photo/Tenzin Choejor)

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SRINAGAR, India (AP) — The exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday arrived in India’s remote Ladakh region bordering China where he received a rousing reception.

Thousands of people lined both sides of the road outside the airport in the cold desert region’s Leh town to welcome the Dalai Lama, who is touring outside his base in the northern Indian city of Dharmsala for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. He will stay in Ladakh for about 45 days.

The Dalai Lama has made Dharmsala his headquarters since fleeing from Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. India considers Tibet to be part of China, though it hosts Tibetan exiles.

Officials said at least 20,000 people gathered all along the road to the Dalai Lama’s summer palace, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the airport. The ride took the spiritual leader about 90 minutes, since the entire stretch was filled with people jostling and some dancing in traditional attire.

They welcomed the spiritual leader by waving religious flags and Tibetan flags and showering the road with flower petals. At least 7,000 Tibetans live in Ladakh.

“Happy. Once more (I have) come (to) Ladakh,” the Dalai Lama said in tangled English as he entered his palace. “These people showing from heart this.”

The visit is also his first since India split the high-altitude region from disputed Kashmir and took direct control of it in 2019 while revoking the entire territory’s semiautonomous status. A year after that change, Indian and Chinese troops came close to war in Ladakh and ever since they have been locked in a military standoff along their disputed border.

China criticized India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for greeting the Dalai Lama on his 87th birthday earlier this month, saying New Delhi should stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s “internal affairs.”

India’s Foreign Ministry hit back and said: “It has been a consistent policy of our government to treat him as a guest in India and as a respected religious leader who enjoys a large following in India.”

Before his last visit in 2018, the Dalai Lama would frequently travel to Ladakh and deliver religious sermons in the region, which is famous for its Buddhist monks in mountaintop monasteries, sparsely populated and stunning landscapes and elusive snow leopards prowling rugged terrain.

China doesn’t recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile and hasn’t held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.

China says Tibet has historically been part of its territory since the mid-13th century, and the Communist Party has governed the Himalayan region since 1951. But many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of their history, and that the Chinese government wants to exploit their resource-rich region while crushing their cultural identity.

The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he only advocates substantial autonomy and protection of Tibet’s native Buddhist culture.

Dalai Lama begins Ladakh visit; government functionary terms it 'religious' tour

LEH/JAMMU/NEW DELHI: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday began his month-long visit to Ladakh and said India-China border disputes should be resolved through "talks and peaceful means" as use of military is an outdated option.

The spiritual leader's visit to Ladakh is expected to rile China as it comes amid the military standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at several friction points in eastern Ladakh.

A top government functionary said the visit of the Dalai Lama to Ladakh was a "completely religious" one, and no one should have any objections to the tour.

"India and China are most populated countries and neighbours. Sooner or later, you have to solve this problem (border disputes along the Line of Actual Control) through talks and peaceful means," the Dalai Lama told reporters in Jammu before leaving for Ladakh.

"Use of military force is outdated now," he said.

The government functionary said it is not for the first time that the Dalai Lama is visiting a border region.

He said the spiritual leader has been to Ladakh as well Arunachal Pradesh several times in the past.

"The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader and his visit to Ladakh is completely religious.

Why should anyone have objections to the tour," the government functionary said.

Earlier this month, China criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for greeting the Dalai Lama on his 87th birthday, saying India should stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs.

However, India rejected the criticism and asserted it is a consistent policy to treat the Dalai Lama as an honoured guest of the country.

This is the Dalai Lama's first visit outside Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh in the last two years as he was mostly confined to the hill station due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Dalai Lama had visited Ladakh in the past.

He had visited Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh) too but he could not undertake any visit in the last two years due to the pandemic," the functionary said.

The 14th Dalai Lama was given rousing reception in Leh as hundreds of people stood up on the two sides of road to welcome his cavalcade from Leh airport to Jivetsal Photang.

In Jammu, he avoided a question on Kashmir issue and said, "It is complicated issue. I do not know about it".

Replying to another question about objections raised by China to his visit in Ladakh, he said this is usual but Chinese people have not objected to it.

"Some Chinese hardliners consider me separatist and reactionary. They always criticise me", he said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader said the Chinese people have now realised that the Dalai Lama is not a separatist.

As far as meaningful autonomy and Tibetan Buddhist culture preservation is concerned, he said, more Chinese people are showing respect for Tibetan Buddhism.

In a message to the world, the Dalai Lama said there is no point to fight each other.

"The fight happens due to 'my nation, my country, my idealogy (thinking)'. That is too narrow-minded an approach."

He said people live together whether one likes or dislikes it.

"These are little family problems too as all human beings are all brothers and sisters," he said.

On Thursday, the Tibetan spiritual leader said in Jammu that more and more people in China are beginning to realise that he is not seeking "independence" but meaningful autonomy and preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist culture.

"Some Chinese hardliners consider me a separatist and a reactionary and always criticise me. But now, more Chinese are realising that the Dalai Lama is not seeking independence and only wishing China (to give) meaningful autonomy (to Tibet) and (ensure) preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture," the spiritual leader said.

The Dalai Lama has been living in India ever since he fled Tibet in 1959.

The Tibetan government-in-exile operates from India and over 1,60,000 Tibetans live in the country.

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Dalai Lama to visit Leh from July 15

In first major tour since pandemic, the tibetan spiritual leader will be imparting teachings at choglamsar village on the banks of the indus river.

In his first major tour in two years since the pandemic struck, Tibetan spiritual Leader the Dalai Lama will be in Leh from July 15.

Also read: ‘ My friend’: Dalai Lama’s tribute to Shinzo Abe after ex-Japan PM assassinated

Tenzin Taklha, the Dalai Lama’s private secretary, said on Wednesday, that he will leave for Leh on Thursday. “He will be staying at Choglamsar village on the banks of the Indus river and impart teaching to Buddhists and local communities. So far, it has not been decided how long he will stay there. We will know about that after he reaches the village that is at a high altitude. It depends on how he feels there.”

The Himachal Pradesh government had celebrated Dharamshala-based Dalai Lama’s 87th birthday on July 6. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur was to travel to Dharamshala but cancelled his visit owing to heavy rain that day. Later, Thakur attended the event virtually from Shimla. State forest minister Rakesh Pathania represented the state government at the event that was attended by followers, including actor Richard Gere along with his son. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also called up to greet the spiritual leader last week.

The Dalai Lama had restricted his travel since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in March 2020. “This is his first big tour since the pandemic,” he said.

The visit comes two years since the clash between Indian Army personnel and their China counterparts in eastern Ladakh.

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, had fled Lhasa in 1959 after Chinese troops suppressed the Tibetan national uprising. Since then, the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner has been living in Dharamshala, where he set up the Tibetan government in exile, now known as the Central Tibetan Administration.

In 2011, the Dalai Lama had delegated his political responsibilities to Kalon Tripa (prime minister of Tibetans), who is directly elected by Tibetan exiles.

Gaurav Bisht heads Hindustan Times’ Himachal bureau. He covers politics in the hill state and other issues concerning the masses. ...view detail

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Watch: 10-km Human Chain Welcomes Dalai Lama To Ladakh

The dalai lama is on a two-day official visit to jammu and kashmir and the union territory of ladakh..

Dalai Lama arrived in Ladakh after a stopover in Jammu.

A 10-km human chain with thousands on the streets of Leh welcomed the Dalai Lama on his first visit to Ladakh since it was carved out as a separate Union Territory three years ago.

Wasting little time in addressing the elephant in the room - China's objections to the Tibetan Buddhist leader's visit to the region - the 87-year-old said, "India and China are both competitive nations and neighbours, sooner or later you have to solve this problem through talks and peaceful means. The use of military force is outdated."

The spiritual leader is on a two-day official visit to Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh. He left for Ladakh after a stopover in Jammu, where he had arrived on Thursday from his base in Dharamshala.

Talking to reporters in Jammu on Thursday, the Dalai Lama said that the majority of people in China realise that he is not seeking independence within China but meaningful autonomy and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture.

"Not Chinese people, but some Chinese hardliners consider me a separatist. Now, more and more Chinese are realising that Dalai Lama not seeking independence but within China meaningful autonomy and to preserve Tibetan Buddhist culture," he said.

This is the first official tour of the Dalai Lama outside his base in Dharamshala since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The visit also marks his first visit to the region since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

It is taking place just three days before the 16th round of Corps Commander-level meetings between India and China, which according to sources is expected to start on July 17.

The Dalai Lama said that an increasing number of Chinese are showing interest in Tibetan Buddhism. "Some of the Chinese scholars have realised that Tibetan Buddhism is truly knowledge and tradition and a very scientific religion."

The spiritual leader's trip is likely to irk China as Beijing had recently criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending wishes to the Dalai Lama on his 87th birthday, stating that India should stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs.

The External Affairs Ministry slammed China's criticism and said that it has been a consistent policy of the government to treat the Dalai Lama as a guest in India.

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Beijing has always had an issue with the Dalai Lama since he took shelter in India. In the 1950s, when China illegally occupied Tibet, the Tibetan spiritual leader had to take shelter in India. The Dalai Lama has tried to advocate for a mid-way negotiation with China to peacefully resolve the issue of Tibet.

India and China have been engaged in a stand-off since April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese PLA in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

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Peaceful Societies

The dalai lama visits ladakh.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama flew to Leh on July 3rd in order to spend 19 days in Ladakh, which included a celebration of his 83rd birthday on Friday the 6th. Four different local news sources covered the story— The Statesman , The Kashmir Monitor , Phayul.com , and Scoop News —emphasizing in different ways the mutual respect that the Ladakhi people have for the Buddhist leader and that he has for them.

According to the press reports, thousands lined the road from the airport to his official residence in Leh, the Shewatsel Phodrang, welcoming him with flowers and adornments. The Ladakhi men, women and children showed their respect for him by wearing their best clothing and carrying flowers, incense, and khataks, the ceremonial scarves that are traditionally given to lamas to show love and recognition to them. Many tourists were also in the crowds.

For his part, the Dalai Lama told a group of religious and community leaders at his residence about his joy at being able to visit Ladakh once again. He thanked the rinpoches, monks, nuns, and lay people, telling them that he appreciated their show of love and respect. He told his listeners that, along with material development, people need to develop the qualities of love, kindness, peace, forgiveness and compassion. All the religions of the world should develop such values, His Holiness said.

He spoke about a recent conference in Delhi of the Indian Himalayan Buddhist communities, which Buddhist scholars from across India attended. He commended the decision of the Buddhist leaders at the conference to convert monasteries into learning centers. The shift of secular society from a feudal model into a democratic one should inspire the monastic system to make similar progressive changes. The “feudal system garners hate and violence, while democracy gives [the] right to all for developing a peaceful environment,” His Holiness added.

The Dalai Lama is widely loved and respected by the Muslim residents of Ladakh as well as by the Buddhists. After the birthday celebrations at his residence on the 6th, he planned to give teachings on Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisatva’s Way of Life from July 10 to 12. From July 18 to 20, he will participate in the Yarcho Chenmo, the Summer Buddhist Council for philosophical debates and discussions, held annually at the Samstanling Gonpa Sumoor in Nubra. He will also do some teaching at the teaching ground of the Shewatsel in Leh and in Nubra while he is there.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Visits Leh Jokhang

His Holiness the Dalai Lama waving to the crowd as he arrives at the Jokhang in Leh, Ladakh, India on July 14, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

Shewatsel, Leh, Ladakh, India, 14 July 2023: This morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove from Shewatsel Phodrang into Leh city, where he made a pilgrim’s visit to the Jokhang, the principal temple there. He was welcomed by officials at the gate and by Lamas inside the temple. He paid his respects before the sacred images, saluted the congregation and took his seat.

“Having arrived in Ladakh,” His Holiness told the gathering, “today, I’ve come here to the Jokhang. We all rely on the following verse from ‘Entering the Bodhisattva Way’.

As long as space endures, And as long as sentient beings remain, Until then, may I too remain To help dispel the misery of the world.

“I say this as a prayer every day out of a wish to be of service to others. The Buddha himself accumulated merit and wisdom for three countless aeons for the purpose of serving others. He was motivated by altruism and finally became enlightened.

“We all have Buddha-nature. Our true nature is to be free of defilements, and yet in the meantime we are subject to defilements that are temporary. The basic nature of the mind is clear light—clarity and awareness—and we all have it. It’s not something we achieve by making effort, we all possess it naturally. Our mind of clear light is obscured by adventitious defilements, but by relying on the words of the Buddha, we can clear them away.

“By eliminating the defilements in his mind, the Buddha achieve the Wisdom-truth Body. And the basic factor for attaining that is also within us. We all have this fundamental nature on the basis of which to attain enlightenment.

“When we say I take refuge in the Buddha, it’s not as if we are reaching out to someone somewhere else, because we all have a clear light mind within, which in its intrinsic nature is free of defilements. That natural purity is obscured by adventitious defilements that becoming steadily thinner as we engage in the practice of the Three Trainings. When we finally manage to remove the defilements obscuring the mind, we too can achieve the Truth Body that the Buddha has achieved. The real meaning of taking refuge in the Buddha, is to consider the resultant state we are going to attain.”

A member of the Muslim community greeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the start of his visit to the Jokhang in Leh, Ladakh, India on July 14, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

His Holiness mentioned that there are many religious traditions in the world. He recalled that back in Lhasa there was a community of Muslims who were not only recognized by the Tibetan government, but were also invited to government functions. Consequently, he said, he had many Muslim friends even then.

He noted that in the present time there are many people who have little personal interest in religion who nevertheless take an interest in the Tibetan tradition. In this context he quoted a verse from the end of Jé Tsongkhapa’s ‘Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path’.

Wherever the Buddha’s teaching has not spread And wherever it has spread but has declined May I, moved by great compassion, clearly elucidate This treasury of excellent benefit and happiness for all.

“Even in places where Buddhism has spread and declined it is appreciated because its very foundation is compassion. It’s admired even by those with no real interest in religion.

“Whether we’re talking about followers of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism or Jainism, all of us are human beings. Here on this earth, we are brothers and sisters. Therefore, we should cultivate a warm heart and an altruistic attitude to one another. This is how will build a peaceful world.

“Unfortunately, in today’s world we too often see prejudice and divisiveness arising between our religious traditions. Our various faiths may adopt contrasting philosophical points of view, but they all advise us to be kind and helpful to one another.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama leading prayers during his visit to the Jokhang in Leh, Ladakh, India on July 14, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

“When I travel to different places, I try to visit the local mosque, Hindu and Jain temple, church and so forth. Of course, I am a Buddhist, but I acknowledge that these various religious traditions all counsel the value of being kind and helpful to others. Even among our Buddhist traditions we have various schools of thought such as the Particularists—Vaibashika, the Followers of Sutra—Sautrantikas, the Differentiators—Vaisheshikas, the Practitioners of Yogic Conduct—Yogacharins, the Proponents of Consciousness—Vijnaptivadins, followers of Mind Only—Chittamatrins, the Autonomists—Svatantrikas and the Consequentialists—Prasangikas, but all are the same in being Buddhist.

“It is very important that we work to maintain inter-religious harmony and keep in mind that those will little interest in religion can still benefit from adopting secular ethics.

“When we were born our mother took care of us and most of us were nurtured by her milk. This is the basis on which we grew up. It’s easy to see that our bodies have survived because of our mother’s kindness. Therefore, it’s also easy to see that we should employ our bodies in the service of others. We should help not harm each other motivated by love and compassion.

“The eight billion people alive today were not only given birth by their mothers, but also survived as a result of her care. Therefore, they should have a kind attitude to others. Bringing harm to others is completely inappropriate. It’s self-evident that if we laugh with each other and help each other, everyone can be happy. It’s important to have good heart and to help one another. “We talk about world peace, but to achieve it we need to have a good heart and to have peace within. If, on the other hand, we are full of jealousy, pride, arrogance, competitiveness and anger there’s no way we’ll achieve peace of mind.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressing the congregation during his visit to the Jokhang in Leh, Ladakh, India on July 14, 2023. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

“Everyone, north, south, east and west, is interested in peace. We are all the same in this. No one really wants to kill, oppress and bully others. What we need to do is to cultivate a sense of equality and help each other. Then we’ll be at peace. And when we come to die, if we are surrounded by people who are affectionate towards us, we’ll feel at ease.

“We’re all gathered here before this statue of our supreme teacher Buddha Shakyamuni. Before him we should pledge to conduct ourselves with a good heart.

“Things are changing, even in China. And what we should do is to seek to create peace in the world, keeping in mind that to rely on weapons and violence is out of date.

“We have improved communications so that we are all better connected. We know much more about each other than we did before. And if we sincerely wish to ensure peace in the world, we can request our supreme teacher’s help. If we religious people could live in harmony like brothers and sisters dedicated to establishing peace in the world, we could achieve it. Engaging in warfare and deploying military force is completely out of date.

“I make a request again to the Buddha that we may cultivate love and compassion, help one another and establish peace in the world. Whether you follow Allah or God, I make the same prayer to them as well.

“Look, today the sky is blue and the land is clear. People living in such circumstances should think of each other as brothers and sisters and should avoid being disturbed by negative emotions. We should not be selfish. We shouldn’t look down on or disparage other people. We should work for their well-being. The more we cultivate an altruistic attitude, the more our negative emotions will subside. This is my approach to practice. It’s been my prayer over many lives to bring peace and joy to others—you compassionate Jowo are my witness. I seek the Jowo Chenmo’s blessing that I may continue to fulfil this prayer unwaveringly day and night.

“Thank you.”

Before setting off to return to Shewatsel, His Holiness met with a number of Muslims who used to live in Lhasa. After that, his pilgrimage at an end, he left the Jokhang for his local residence.

– Sourced from dalailama.com 

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Home » India » Dalai Lama to visit Leh on July 15, China comments on India’s support to him

Dalai Lama to visit Leh on July 15, China comments on India’s support to him

The visit comes amid a deterioration of indo-china ties over the standoff in eastern ladakh..

• Published:   July 8, 2022 18:15

New Delhi: The 14th Dalai Lama will visit Leh on July 15. This will mark his first visit in around four years to the region. The visit comes amid a deterioration of Indo-China ties over the standoff in eastern Ladakh. In the past, China has objected to Dalai Lama’s visit to Leh, including his visit in 2018.

The duration of his stay in Leh is not official as of now. However, according to a report by The Indian Express, the Buddhist monk will stay for about a month at Choglamsar village on the bank of the Indus river. He is said to impart Buddhist teachings in the region. These teachings are known as summer teachings in Leh.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian in a media briefing in Beijing said that India should recognise the anti-China and separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama. He also said that India should speak and act prudently and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs by the means of Tibet-related issues. Replying to these comments, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “It is a consistent policy of the Government of India to treat His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, as an honoured guest in India and as a respected religious leader who enjoys a large following in India. His Holiness is accorded all due courtesies and freedom to conduct his religious and spiritual activities in India… His Holiness’s birthday is celebrated by many of his followers in India and abroad. The birthday greetings by Hon’ble PM to his Holiness on his 87th birthday should be seen in this overall context.”

Conveyed 87th birthday greetings to His Holiness the @DalaiLama over phone earlier today. We pray for his long life and good health. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 6, 2022

Dalai Lama resigned from the post of Tibet’s political head in 2011, but somehow he still remains the centre of Tibetian politics. The monk recently celebrated his 87th birthday and received wishes from many Indians, including PM Narendra Modi and Jairam Thakur, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

• Buddhist monk
• CM Jairam Thakur
• Dalai Lama visit Leh
• PM narendra modi
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Why China is blocking Dalai Lama's Sri Lanka visit

Leading Sri Lankan Buddhist leader Waskaduwe Mahindawansa went on television to state that the Chinese had pressured the Sri Lankan government to prevent the visit

The—70 per cent plus Buddhist—Sinhala population of Sri Lanka fervently wants to welcome the 87-year-old Dalai Lama into their country at the earliest. A group of Sri Lankan Buddhist monks who met the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya in 2022 invited him to come.

Dalai Lama is revered by his direct followers and other Buddhist sects as the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha, Avalokiteshvara. The current monk was anointed at the age of 15 in 1950, the very year the Chinese took over Tibet.

The Sri Lankans have been trying to have the Dalai Lama visit since January 2023. They are trying once more now as fresh efforts intensify on the open invitation from the various Buddhist monasteries. Many Sri Lankan Buddhists feel the Dalai Lama can help sort out the island nation’s economic woes with his wisdom and blessings.

Leading Sri Lankan Buddhist leader Waskaduwe Mahindawansa went on television to state that the Chinese had pressured the Sri Lankan government to prevent the visit.

The Chinese, ever political and strategic, want the Sri Lankan Buddhists to team up with Gandharan Buddhists in Pakistan rather than the Indian-orders that are opposed to the Chinese. And certainly, they do not want the Dalai Lama to visit and be honoured.

The impediment to a Sri Lankan visit comes every time by way of China. Beijing’s debt restructuring will play a crucial role in obtaining further soft loans from the IMF. This has tied the hands of the Sri Lankan government.

The Chinese still regard the elderly Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist with massive influence, a living and highly popular symbol of resistance to the Chinese takeover of Tibet.

One of the thorny problems stretching beyond the present incumbent is that the Buddhist monasteries in Tawang, Leh, and elsewhere in India do not agree that the Dalai Lama’s successor can be chosen by the Chinese. The Buddhists everywhere are furious at the constant insults hurled by the Communist Chinese against the Dalai Lama, who do not recognise him as a spiritual leader at all, calling him a ‘wolf’ in monks robes.

The internal facts in Tibet are quite damning. Since 1949, over 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed, over 6,000 monasteries destroyed, and thousands of Tibetans imprisoned. The Tibetans are being relocated to dense city enclaves in Lhasa; their smart phones are monitored; and the Mandarin language is being pushed in place of the Tibetan.

With all this and 74 years of effort, including much infrastructure development and the relocation of ethnic Han Chinese to Lhasa, the Chinese are still not the masters of Tibetan hearts and minds. Similar problems of non-acceptance of unbridled repression plague the Communist CCP in Xinkiang, Hong Kong, against dissidence of any kind in the country, and of course, Taiwan.

The Chinese authorities bristle at everything the Dalai Lama says and does, and are disturbed every time the Dalai Lama travels within India or internationally. Still, the Dalai Lama has been very successful at promoting the Tibetan cause. The Chinese don’t like the fact that the Dalai Lama is completely free in India. They objected strongly to the Dalai Lama’s visit to the Tawang Buddhist monastery and other parts of Arunachal Pradesh as a state guest in 2016. China, typically and audaciously, claims 90,000 sq km of the state, even today as ‘South Tibet’.

China is firmly opposed to the Nobel Laureate and international apostle of spiritual optimism. The fact that the young Lama escaped to India, which gave him sanctuary, is a constant thorn in the flesh of the Chinese side. Even today, Tibetans in occupied Tibet are rarely given Chinese passports to travel. They are specifically discouraged from visiting the Dalai Lama in India, more so since 2012. There is also a ban on openly worshipping him.

China handed out brownie points to relatively smaller countries like South Africa, a part of BRICS, when it was far more important and influential, for blocking a Dalai Lama visit in 2011.

This was widely criticised internally. The Lama was to go to Cape Town on the occasion of the 80th birthday of fellow Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu, at his invitation.

The Dalai Lama did visit South Africa to meet with Nelson Mandela in 1996. But he was prevented from doing so again before the 2010 World Cup. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman in 2011, Hong Lei, laid out the unrelenting policy on the venerable monk when he said, ‘China’s position of opposing the Dalai Lama visiting any country with ties to China is clear and consistent’.

When the Dalai Lama met Mexican President Felipe Calderon in 2011, China said it had ‘harmed Chinese-Mexican relations’. Likewise, Beijing was critical of President Barack Obama receiving the Dalai Lama in the White House in July 2011. However, Presidents Clinton and George W Bush also met the Dalai Lama, ignoring Chinese protests. As did Angela Merkel of Germany, Nicholas Sarkozy of France, and Gordon Brown of Britain.

Much was done to impact the careers of Hollywood stars like Richard Gere by backing Tibetan aspirations and regularly visiting McLeod Ganj.

The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 on muleback and on foot, just ahead of the Chinese takeover of his Potala Palace in Lhasa. This followed a failed Tibetan uprising against the Han Chinese occupation of Tibet. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, in an admirable act of idealistic courage, allowed the young Dalai Lama and his small band of fellow monks and followers refuge at Dharamshala/McLeod Ganj, in what is now Himachal Pradesh. India signed a document recognising China’s takeover of Tibet in 1954.

Yet, in hindsight, Nehru may have had to pay for harbouring the Dalai Lama, by way of the unprovoked Chinese invasion of NEFA in 1962. Of course, it wasn’t the only reason. However, it was a shock and humiliation that Nehru wasn’t able to survive for long.

Soon, a nucleus of exiled Tibetans and enough monks to form a spiritual organisation grew around the Dalai Lama. More and more Indian and international devotees and admirers made the trip to McLeod Ganj as the time wore on. For the Tibetans trapped on the other side, in Chinese-occupied Tibet, the Dalai Lama has remained a symbol of hope for ‘genuine autonomy’ instead of subjugation, over the years, since 1950.

A Tibetan government in exile formed in McLeod Ganj holds elections and thrives to this day, frequently appearing to give its views on Indian television. Its stated purpose is to one day see their way to a free Tibet, or at least a truly ‘autonomous’ region.

Many of the Tibetans and their descendants have integrated into Indian society, marrying other communities, forming clusters and colonies in different parts of the hills and plains of India.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Force is a formidable military presence all along the LAC with China and is being steadily expanded. By way of contrast, the Han Chinese have had great difficulty motivating the natives of sparsely populated Tibet to work with them in any capacity or help their efforts to man and defend the LAC with India.

Instead, the Chinese have been forced to use Han conscripts from the plains, ill-suited to the rare air and high altitude. Most, including the senior officers, fall sick, and have to be frequently replaced.

China puts out a different development narrative with impressive statistics. Tibet now has a prosperous economy with a GDP of $31 billion and a per capita income of $8,000. This is twice that of Sri Lanka and four times that of India, they state. Life expectancy is now 72.19 years. There are 46,000 monks and nuns in over 1,700 monasteries in Tibet.

Critics say these statistics are fudged and a debt-driven narrative. Most of all, there is no freedom of religion. The effort to nurture a phoney Buddhist ethos is to legitimise Chinese efforts to name a state-sponsored Dalai Lama successor.

The writer is a Delhi-based political commentator. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.

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Below is the public schedule of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. All events are free and open to the public unless noted. For ticketed events, people are requested to contact the organizers directly or visit the listed websites for further information on tickets.

For all teachings in Dharamsala, registration is required in order to attend. Registration begins a few days before the actual start of the teaching and ends the day before the first day of the teaching. Registration hours are from 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm at the Main Tibetan Temple (Tsuglhakhang) courtyard. For registration purposes, all foreigners need to bring copies of their passport, Indian visa and 'C' form. People living in India need to bring copies of their aadhaar card. A nominal fee of Rs. 10 will be charged.

For your information, as a long-standing policy His Holiness the Dalai Lama does not accept any fees for his talks. Where tickets need to be purchased, organizers are requested by our office to charge the minimum entrance fee in order to cover their costs only.

Please note that the dates given below are subject to change .

Teaching in Dharamsala, HP, India

May 18, 2024

His Holiness will confer the Mahakala Blessing (gonpo jenang) at the request of Kalu Rinpoche in the morning at the Main Tibetan Temple.

June 3 - 4, 2024

His Holiness will give two days of teachings on Key to the Middle Way (uma demig) in the mornings for Tibetan Youth at the Main Tibetan Temple.

Long Life Offering Ceremony in Dharamsala, HP, India

June 11, 2024

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will attend a Long Life Prayer offered to him by former staff of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Mentseekhang and ex-kusungs in the morning at the Main Tibetan Temple.

June 27 - 28, 2024

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give two days of teachings on Chapter 9 (Wisdom) of Shantideva's A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (chodjug) in the mornings at the request of Nalanda Shiksha at the Main Tibetan Temple.

September 6 - 7, 2024

On the morning of September 6, His Holiness will confer the Avalokiteshvara Initiation (chenresig wang) and on the morning of September 7 he will participate in a long life offering ceremony at the request of the Monpa Community of Arunachal Pradesh (India) at the Main Tibetan Temple.

September 12 - 13, 2024

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give two days of teachings (topic to be decided) at the request of a group of Southeast Asians in the mornings at the Main Tibetan Temple.

September 18, 2024

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will attend a Long Life Prayer offered to him by the Tibetan Women's Association, Ex-Students of CST Dalhousie and Lhasa Districts in the morning at the Main Tibetan Temple.

September 30 - October 2, 2024

On September 30 and October 1, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give two days of teachings on Chapter 8 (Meditation) of Shantideva's A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (chodjug) in the mornings at the request of Taiwanese devotees and on October 2 His Holiness will attend a Long Life Prayer offering by the Taiwanese in the morning at the Main Tibetan Temple.

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