(TibetanReview.net, Jun09, 2015) – Alongside his religious teachings at the Fairmont Resort in Luera, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, the Dalai Lama on Jun 7 accepted a long-life offering from a gathering of about 1,400 followers and also met with a group of about 100 Chinese intellectuals, writers and democracy activists in a separate event.
Apart from more than 1000 Tibetans living in Australia and New Zealand, those who made the long-life offering included 200 Vietnamese, nearly 60 Bhutanese, 10 Mongolians and others. Speaking during the ceremony, the Dalai Lama acknowledged the Tibetans’ promise to keep the Tibetan spirit alive, their pledged to support the Central Tibetan Administration at Dharamshala, and to dissociate themselves entirely from the controversial spirit Dolgyal. “As Buddhists we don’t take spirits as objects of refuge. We take refuge in the Three Jewels,” he said, adding the Fifth Dalai Lama had described Dolgyal as having arisen as a result of distorted prayers and as harming sentient beings and the Dharma.
The long-life ceremony took place in the nearby town of Katoomba under the cover of a marquee.
The meeting with Chinese intellectuals and activists took place in the Carrington Hotel in another part of Katoomba. He said the difficulties that Tibet had experienced in its relations with China over the past 60 years “shouldn’t harm our 2000 year old relationship”. He appreciated the efforts of the Chinese people who had made the meeting possible.
Asked when things will change, the Dalai Lama replied that the future was unclear, the signals were mixed. He noted that in recent times one official had spoken as if a pilgrimage to Wutaishan for him was on the cards, only for hopes to be dashed shortly afterwards. He also said the language of the recent White Paper on Tibet issued by Beijing was tough.