US President Calls His Holiness the Dalai Lama Wednesday, 24 September 2008, 9:17 a.m.

File Photo/ President George W. Bush and His Holiness Dalai Lama during the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness on 17 October 2007, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Dharamshala: US President George W Bush made a call to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Tuesday to inquire about his health.

“The president’s call reflects the great esteem he and the American people hold for the Dalai Lama, who is a revered religious figure in Tibetan Buddhism, a Nobel laureate and a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, and an important cultural figure and human rights advocate,” said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

Bush called His Holiness the Dalai Lama from New York where he is attending the U.N. General Assembly’s annual meeting.

Mr Chhime R. Chhoekyapa, secretary to His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: “The phone call came this evening. His Holiness was supposed to have gone to Mexico and some other places and also to Washington to meet the president earlier this month.”

“Since he had to cancel that trip because of not being well, the president called to ask about his health,” he told AFP.

Chhoekyapa said His Holiness the Dalai Lama is well.

In Dharamshala, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will confer a three-day teaching on “Je Tsongkhapa’s Song of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment” from 25 – 27 September.

His Holiness will also give a five-day teaching on “Arya Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Bodhicitta” and “Kamalashila’s The Middling Stages of Meditation” from 30 September to 4 October.