It was the first time he had ever visited this monastery, and in doing so he fulfilled the long-held dreams of over 7000 Buddhist devotees, to whom he orally transmitted the 'The Diamond Sutra' (dorje chotpa), a short and well-known Mah?y?na s?tra with emphasis on non-abidance (avoiding mental constructs during daily life).
The Dalai Lama continued on to attend a ceremony at Ladakh's oldest Dekyi Gonpa monastery, on Sunday, where he consecrated a newly established 100 foot high statue of Matreya.
The highly revered Buddhist teacher Thiksey Rinpoche spoke of the significance of the statue, which cost approximately Rs. 2 chores. He said that as well as being installed in order to spread the teachings of Buddha, it also functioned to ward off misfortune and ensure His Holiness a long life. The Dalai Lama praised those involved in erecting the statue and also used the opportunity to speak of the responsibility of environment preservation in the Himalayas.
