(TibetanReview.net, Sep08’22) – Buoyed by the success of his recently concluded 40-day tour of the Union Territory of Ladakh to give religious teachings, promote interfaith harmony, and propagate global peace, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, now looks forward to visiting Mon Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, another Indian territory which borders Chinese occupied Tibet.
“I belong to the lineage of Dalai Lamas and have a strong link to the people of the Himalayan region. I was recently in Ladakh and I hope to make a visit to Mön Tawang again soon,” he has said during a ceremony of long-life offering made by five organization on Sep 7 in the Tsuglakhang, the main Buddhist temple at Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala, India, which adjoins his exile residence.
The 1989 Nobel Peace laureate has further said: “During my recent visit to Ladakh and Zanskar, I was moved by the faith and trust of the people there. Tibetans in Tibet are also unflinching in their devotion, but they are living under oppressive conditions.
“Meanwhile, an increasing number of people in China are taking an interest in Buddhism and even Chinese officials are beginning to acknowledge that I’m not the reactionary they make me out to be. In fact, in Tibet, it’s not just a matter of human beings, there are spirits and deities who have faith in me because I’m resolute in my efforts to cultivate the awakening mind of bodhichitta for the benefit of others.”
The five organizations which together made the long-life offering included the Tendhong Cultural Preservation Society from Mön Tawang, the International Jonang Well-being Association, the Domey-Mang-Bha-Ja-Sum Association, the Namgyal Higher Secondary School from Nepal, and the Sydney Tibetan Association.
Those who led the long-life prayer recitations included Gyabong Rinpoché, the Abbot of Tawang Monastery; the Dorjé Löbpön of Namgyal Monastery; Jonang Gyaltsab Rinpoché; Ganden Tri Rinpoché; Ling Rinpoché; Guru Tulku Rinpoché; and Khenpo Nyima Tashi, Abbot of the Kagyu Monastery in Jang, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
The Dalai Lama’s previous visits to Arunachal Pradesh have drawn criticisms from China, which claims the state, especially the Tawang region, as a part of its territory on the basis of its claim over Tibet. Such criticisms have also been made whenever top Indian leaders visited the state.