His Holiness the Dalai Lama Returns to Dharamsala[Wednesday, 28 July 2010, 3:27 p.m.]
 |
| Tibetans welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his return to Dharamsala from Ladakh this morning |
Dharamshala:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama returned to Dharamsala today from Ladakh
after concluding an eight-day visit to Buddhist monasteries and schools
in the region’s picturesque Nubra Valley.A
group of senior monastic officials and representatives of local
administration, including Thiksey Rinpoche, Chogon Rinpoche, Tseten
Namgyal, MLA, deputy commissioner, president of Ladakh Buddhist
Association and executive councilor, Nubra, were present at the Thoise
Airbase to see off His Holiness the Dalai Lama. “I am very
happy that my programme here went on successfully and hope to visit
again in future,” His Holiness said before boarding the plane at 8:30
am this morning.On the final day of his visit to Disket Monastery yesterday, His Holiness gave discourse on Lamtso Namsum to around 15,000 devotees. His
Holiness also gave a separate audience to around 500 foreigners. In his
brief address, His Holiness told them to follow their own ancestral
religion and at the same time learn from other traditions. He spoke on
his commitments in promoting positive human values and inter-faith
harmony.In the afternoon, His Holiness inaugurated a
eco-friendly solar building at Lamdon Model Primary School. The
building will raise the room temperature to 17 centigrade during
freezing winter when the mercury drops to -40 degree. The project was
funded by a France-based organisation. The school has a total strength
of 300 students. In his address, His Holiness underlined the
importance of learning both traditional and modern education in order
to get inner happiness and material development. He emphasised the need
to put into practice what he has preached from the teachings of Buddha
and other learned Buddhist masters.His Holiness was later
invited as a guest at a public talk by five Buddhist scholars jointly
organised by Nalanda and Atisha Buddhist Associations. The Nalanda
Buddhist Association, which was established on 3 June 2005, works
towards introducing Buddhism to youths by conducting regular classes
every Sunday. The Atisha Buddhist Association was set up in 1988 with
the aim to teach key set of Buddhist texts to the local people in
colloquial language. Nubra Valley is called by locals as “Dumra”
(meaning garden in Tibetan) as the vast expanse of land is adorned with
beautiful flowers. The region, which has a total population of around
15,000, is known for its harmony between the Buddhist and Muslim
communities.–With additional reporting by Jigme Tsering and Namgyal Tsewang of Tibetonline TV
