(TibetanReview.net, Apr10’25) – Around 1,300 people from the Spiti Valley, which borders Tibet in Himachal Pradesh state of India, gathered at the Tsuglakhang, Dharamshala, on Apr 10 to make a long-life prayer offering to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The ceremony was led by Serkong Rinpoche, who belongs to the Spiti Valley. Those who attended it on the stage included a small boy who is the reincarnation of the former Abbot of Tabo Monastery, founded in Spiti Valley in 996 CE by the famous Tibetan Buddhist master and translator lotsawa Rinchen Sangpo.
The Dalai Lama told the Spiti people that their loyalty and devotion was a reason for him to wish to live a long life.
“Today, you people from Spiti, and particularly the region around Tabo, have offered prayers for my long life. I believe that what makes such prayers effective doesn’t depend on saying prayers for a week, but on whether you make the prayer from the depth of your heart. This is where I live and you’ve come here for the explicit purpose of making prayers that I will live long. You’ve done so with a strong sense of affection and respect and I thank you.”
He also told the gathering, “Those of you who take an interest in the teaching of the Buddha may know that it is not so much about prayers and recitations. What we need to do is study. Then, when we understand how the teaching works, we have faith based on knowledge.”
Referring to a dream he had, the Dalai Lama said, “Not so long ago, I was in a temple where I had a vision of the Buddha before me. He beckoned and I approached. He seemed pleased with me and patted me on the head. I had only a single chocolate to offer him which he accepted. However, I felt that by keeping the three vows and teaching others, I had made an offering of practice to the Buddha.
“Similarly, you have offered these prayers for my long life, not out of any sense of obligation, but because you really wish I will live long. This is a true long-life offering and I’m happy to accept it.”
The ceremony concluded with a group of women from Tabo, each wearing a traditional green Spiti cloak, sang verses of auspiciousness to His Holiness.