His Holiness the Dalai Lama Recounts Happy Memories of
Kalimpong [Tuesday, 14 December
2010, 12:12 p.m.]

KALIMPONG:
Describing Tibet’s past relation with Kalimpong and Darjeeling in
northeast India as “close to heart”, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said
how he as a child was delighted to hear from Tibetan merchants and
government officials about their journeys to Kalimpong, Sikkim,
Darjeeling and Calcutta.“At that time, I wished to make a visit
to Kalimpong and Darjeeling,” His Holiness reminisced while giving a
two-day religious discourse to over 4,000 people at Tharpa Choeling
Monastery in Kalimpong yesterday.“Then in 1956, I happened to be
in Kalimpong and Gangtok on my way to attend the celebration of the
2,500th anniversary of the birth of the Buddha. Since coming into exile
in 1959, India has been my second home to me,” His Holiness said.’Moreover,
Tharpa Choeling Monastery is one of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist
monasteries in India. But, the propitiation of Shugden in the monastery
in the past caused me inconvenience to visit. Later on, despite the fact
that Shugden was propitiated by former Lamas, all the concerned people
in the monastery with broad vision and reason had completely distanced
themselves from the spirit worship. So, it became easy for me to come
here,” His Holiness said.Preaching on sacred text of ‘The Three
Principal Paths’ (Lamtso Namsum), His Holiness said he always tell
Buddhists devotees from around the world, including Tibetan, Chinese,
Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese Buddhists, to become 21st Buddhists. One
can become a 21st Buddhist only by developing faith in the unique value
of Buddha’s teaching through understanding and studying them. The faith
born out of reason is that of intelligence and is therefore stable and
pure, His Holiness added.Thousands of people, including Sermey
Khensur (former abbot) Dagpa Rinpoche, Jamgon Kongrtul Rinpoche, Gyuto
Khensur Rinpoche, general public and students, attended the teaching.Long
Life Prayer Offering to His Holiness the Dalai LamaEarlier
in the day, Kalimpong’s Tharpa Choeling Monastery and Tibetan Settlement
Office presented long life prayer offering to His Holiness the Dalai
Lama after he was ushered into the main temple by the monastery’s
spirural head Dromo Geshe Rinpoche.During the ceremony,
important lay and monastic officials, including Dagpa Rinpoche, Tibetan
Settlement Officer, Jamgon Kongrtul Rinpoche, Dromo Geshe Rinpoche and
Lama Soepa Rinpoche, presented prayer offerings to His Holiness the
Dalai Lama. His Holiness
will confer a long life empowerment (tsewang) followed by an address to
the Tibetan community on the morning of 14 December at the Central
Tibetan School Kalimpong Ground.His
Holiness will be in Sikkim and back in West Bengal for his next leg of
northeast visit scheduled from 19 – 24 December. He will bless a new
Buddha Statue being built by the Sikkim State Government in the morning
of 19 December and teaching series in Gangtok and Salugara in West
Bengal from 21 to 24 December.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama reading a text during the long life prayer offering ceremony at Tharpa Choeling Monastery in Kalimpong, in India’s northeastern state of West Bengal, on 13 December 2010/Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaching at Tharpa Choeling Monastery in Kalimpong, in India’s northeastern state of West Bengal, on 13 December 2010/Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Schoolchildren await His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s arrival at Tharpa Choeling Monastery in Kalimpong, in India’s northeastern state of West Bengal, on 13 December 2010/Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL