Dharamsala Holds Special Prayer Service for Japan[Sunday, 13 March 2011, 10:36 a.m.]

The abbot of Namgyal Monastery presides over a day-long special prayer service for Japan at the main temple in Dharamsala on Sunday, 13 March 2011/Photo by Drokyi Nyima/TibetNet

DHARAMSALA: A day-long special prayer service for the people affected by the worst natural disaster in Japan is being conducted by major Tibetan monasteries and nunneries at Tsuglagkhang, the main temple, in Dharamsala today.In his condolence message to Japan yesterday, His Holiness said the recitation of Heart Sutra may not only be helpful for those who have lost their precious lives, but may also help prevent further disasters in the future.“The day-long prayer service, which begins at 6 am, is being organised at the instruction of the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” Ven Norbu Dhonden, additional secretary at the Department of Religion and Culture told TibetNet.”The monks of Namgyal Monastery, Kirti Monastery, Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Dip Tsechokling and nuns of Geden Choeling Nunnery are reciting Heart Sutra for the people affected by the tragedy in Japan,” Ven Dhonden said.His Holiness the Dalai Lama had offered his prayers for those who have lost their lives and offered his sympathy and condolences to their families and others affected by it. Japan continued to grapple Sunday with widespread damage from its biggest recorded 8.9-magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami that hit northeastern and eastern regions two days ago.The number of people who had died or remained unaccounted for exceeded 2,000, police said, while the official death toll neared 800. In Fukushima Prefecture alone, 1,167 were unaccounted for and well over 600 corpses had been found in both Iwate and Miyagi prefectures on the Pacific coast, Kyodo News Agency reported.Related:His Holiness the Dalai Lama Offers Prayers for Quake-hit Japan