Tokyo: The Tibetan community in Japan participated in the two-day Namasete India Festival on 27 and 28 September. As the festival was held on a weekend, it drew a large number of people from different communities to enjoy traditional and modern Indian dance and song performances. The festival venue has many booths and stalls serving various Indian food, delicacies, garments, and goods for sale.

The Tibetan community people hosted the Bodhisena booth and presented traditional Tibetan dances. Dr. Arya Tsewang Gyalpo of the Tibet House Japan explained that the dances and the songs celebrate the beauty of the planet earth, the oneness of humanity, and world peace. He informed the audience that it was a part of the year-long celebration of the 90th Birthday of H.H. the Dalai Lama and shared his message to see this planet earth as our common home and ourselves as temporary visitors. Therefore, the need to live peacefully and friendly respecting our interdependency. He further briefed the visitors on the Four Principal Commitments of His Holiness: promoting of human value; promoting of religious harmony; Tibetan freedom; and preservation of the ancient Indian Nalanda philosophy.

The Tibetan community maintained the booth, Bodhisena House, where they explained how the Indian Buddhist master Bodhisena visited Japan in 736 AD and taught Buddhism and the Sanskrit language. Emperor Shomu patronised him and requested Bodhisena to consecrate (opening of the eyes) the great Buddha statue of Todaiji Temple in Nara in 752 AD. The Indian master played an important role in introducing Buddhism directly from India to Japan and was greatly respected around that time. Unfortunately, not many remember this part of the history and his association with the Kegon School of Buddhism.

The booth also shared information on how Indian Saint Shantarakshita and Gurupadma Sambhava visited Tibet around the same period and introduced Buddhism in the land, and how the two masters are still greatly revered by the Tibetans and the people in the Himalayan regions.

Namasete India is an annual festival, and it aims to promote inter-cultural and human connection and friendship between India and Japan and people around the world. The audience greatly appreciated the Tibetan traditional dance performance by the Tibetan community members.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Japan