(TibetanReview.net, Nov05’24) –Indicating a rejection of the Chinese occupation rule in Tibet, Chief Minister Mr Pema Khandu of India’s border state of Arunachal Pradesh has spoken on Nov 4 about the need to maintain and continue the centuries-old Tibet-India relationship. He has spoken during a monastic ceremony in the presence of the Sikyong Mr Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel of the Tibetans’ Parliament in Exile.
“The relationship between India and Tibet is centuries old, and it is our responsibility to maintain and continue this relationship,” the arunachaltimes.in Nov 4 quoted Mr Khandu as saying during the consecration and inauguration of the newly constructed Dukhang, the prayer hall, of Thubchog Gatsel Ling Monastery at Bomdila.
The foundation stone for the Dukhang was laid by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2017 and the consecration ceremony and inauguration carried out by the 104th Gaden Tripa, the head of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Palzangpo.
“Monasteries are of great significance; we must learn the Bhoti script to understand more about the religion. The Nalanda tradition of Buddhism is important, as it went to Tibet and descended to Arunachal Pradesh,” the chief minister has said.
Bhoti script refers to the Tibetan script used in the Himalayan belt of India, including Ladakh and Sikkim, as well as parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Given the strong devotion to Buddhism among communities in the Himalayan region, Khandu has said this devotion needs to be transformed into wisdom, “for which learning the Bhoti language, the Tibetan script, is essential.”
He has added that “Bhoti teachers have now been added to schools, and children are studying Bhoti” in the Tibetan Buddhist areas of the state.
He has also spoken of soon providing scholarships for monks and nuns.
The head of the monastery, the 12th Guru Chogtrul Rinpoche, has said, “The monastery was established by my predecessor, the 11th Guru Chogtrul Rinpoche, and it has been a centre of spirituality. The monastery will serve as a centre of learning.”
Established by local Tibetans around 1959-1960, the monastery was initially offered to the revered Guru Rinpoche as its head. It is now under the stewardship of Guru Chogtrul Rinpoche.
The Guru Tenpai Dronme School, affiliated with the monastery, has also been established as an educational institution, benefiting the local community greatly,” the CTA’s Tibet.net Nov 5 quoted the Tibetan Sikyong as saying.
MP Tapir Gao has also spoken as has Sikyong Penpa Tsering. Other also present at the events were stated to include devotees from neighbouring Bhutan, MLAs from Tawang and West Kameng districts, and heads of state government departments.