TOI News Desk
The 400-year-old monastery popularly known as the Tawang monastery, is the largest Buddhist monastery in India and the second-largest in Asia.
“Offered prayers at the sacred Tawang Monastery on the auspicious occasion of His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama’s 89th birthday. I prayed for His Holiness’s good health, long life, and continued guidance for humanity through his invaluable teachings,” Khandu posted on X.
He said, “May His Holiness continue to bless our world with his compassion, wisdom, and peace. Long Live His Holiness!.
“May this special day inspire us to embrace compassion, empathy, and kindness, and strive towards creating a more harmonious world,” Khandu added.
On the occasion, the chief minister also took part in a cake-cutting event and joined a prayer ceremony organised by the monks there.
The monks of Tawang Monastery offered Den-Tsik Monlam, a prayer ceremony.
To mark the occasion, Khandu along with others also planted tree saplings at Urgelling, the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama has played a significant role in spreading Buddhism globally. His efforts to maintain the Tibetan cause while in exile earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. In 1959, he sought refuge in India, a decade after China deployed its military to the Himalayan region in 1950, claiming to liberate Tibetan “serfs”.
As the spiritual leader grows older and faces health issues, the matter of his successor’s appointment has become a pressing concern for Tibetans who are fighting for increased autonomy within China or complete independence.
According to Tibetan Buddhist beliefs, learned monastics are reborn as infants after their passing. The Dalai Lama has stated that he will address questions surrounding succession, including whether and where he would be reincarnated, around his 90th birthday.