Leh, Ladakh – His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, arrived in Leh, Ladakh, on Tuesday, and tens of thousands of local residents, Ladakhis and Tibetans queued up to welcome His Holiness. After his arrival, he said he was happy to be here: "it seems I may eventually be able to visit Lhasa. However, even if I am able to go, I don’t plan to stay there. I would rather return to India and be able to visit Ladakh again".
His Holiness the Dalai Lama had planned to visit Ladakh on Monday, but due to bad weather in Leh that day, all flights to Leh were cancelled. His Holiness was therefore able to arrive in Ladakh at around 10.30am on Tuesday 11 July 2023. He was welcomed at the airport by Thiksey Rinpoche, Taglung Matrul Rinpoche, Taglung Tsetrul Rinpoche, Jhado Rinpoche and Drukpa Khamdrak Rinpoche, the leaders of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, as well as the Tashi Gyaltsen, the Honourable CEC LAHDC Leh Adv, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Member of Parliament for Ladakh, and Dhondup Tashi, representative of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). Tens of thousands of people, including local residents, Ladakhis and Tibetans, lined the road, well-dressed and carrying white scarves and flowers in their hands, to warmly welcome His Holiness to Ladakh, where he will stay for around three weeks.
When His Holiness the Dalai Lama reached the Shewatsel Phodrang from the airport after an hour and half, Thiksey Rinpoché, Thupten Tsewang of the LBA and Dhondup Tashi of the CTA offered him a mandala. His Holiness laughed and told them, “Down on the plains there’s so much cloud and rain, I missed the blue sky. So I flew up to Ladakh and the clear blue sky became visible again. It was so damp and humid under the overcast sky, I really wanted to come to Ladakh where the weather is different.
His Holiness said, “Here in Ladakh the Buddhist tradition shines as bright as the sun, but as time passes it may be that people become slack with regard to their education and meditation. You Ladakhis have strong faith, so, motivated by a wish to benefit others, I thought of coming here for a couple of weeks—but we will see how things go".
“Generally, I do an annual Jigjé retreat and I am thinking of doing that here. But even if I can’t do that, I’ll continue to keep up my daily practice focussed on bodhichitta and emptiness. These two factors govern my day and under their influence I’ll continue my practice," he added.
“Since Ladakhis have such single-pointed faith, I am thinking that I might give a teaching based around the Three Higher Trainings, the Four Noble Truths and the Two Truths. Given your faith and my motivation, I think this could be beneficial," His Holiness said.
The spiritual leader of Tibet said, “I have observed indications in my dreams, that I may yet live until I am 100 or 110 years old."
“Meanwhile, if the weather treats me kindly, I may stay here more than three weeks—this is what I am thinking of doing,His Holiness added.
“As I have already said, you Ladakhis have strong faith and devotion; because of that when you see me you feel happy and then I am happy too. I am happy to see you all, monastics and lay-people," His Holiness mentioned.
His Holiness said while he is talking about China, “In China there’s also a growing number of people interested in Buddhism. And despite the Chinese government’s efforts to uproot Tibetan religion and culture, interest in Tibetan Buddhism continues to increase. A Professor from Lanzhou told me this".
“In the past, Chinese officials referred to me as the reactionary Dalai, but lately they seem to have stopped saying that. Apparently, the number of Chinese people with faith in the Dalai Lama is growing. It seems the Chinese government are inconsistent in the way they regard me," he added.
The spiritual leader of Tibet said, “Consequently, it seems I may eventually be able to visit Lhasa. However, even if I am able to go, I don’t plan to stay there. I would rather return to India and be able to visit Ladakh again.”
