Dalai Lama greeted by cheering crowds in New York as he arrives for medical treatment
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NEW YORK - The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, arrived in New York on June 23 to receive medical treatment for his knees and was greeted by hundreds of cheering and chanting supporters.
The 88-year-old waved from the open window of a limousine as it approached his Manhattan hotel. He walked slowly to the entrance, supported by aides.
The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. The Nobel Peace laureate has battled health problems for years.
Some supporters arrived hours ahead of time to make sure they could catch a sight of a man making his first trip to the United States since 2017.
“I knew I had to come here for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I think waiting outside for the past four or five hours is definitely worth it,” said supporter Tenzin Kunkyi. “There is a strong sense of community when you’re here, everyone’s passing around bread... along with getting a blessing from seeing His Holiness, we also strengthen our Tibetan bond here outside.”
Followers, many wearing traditional Tibetan outfits, danced in the streets outside the hotel.
“We wish Dalai Lama long life. And we really wish Dalai Lama (would) visit China to say to the Tibetan community, ‘Hi, hello’,” said supporter Byamba Suren, who left Virginia at 3am to drive to New York.
“Once we saw him, it felt really powerful. And everyone was, like, emotional because he’s, like, our leader,” added 18-year-old, US-born Tenzin Pasang, who has now seen the Dalai Lama three times. “So it’s very nice to see him in New York.”
She welcomed the spiritual leader by joining in a performance of a traditional Tibetan dance.
It is unclear whether the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing sees as a dangerous separatist, will meet any US officials during his trip. He says he is not seeking independence for Tibet.
Followers, many wearing traditional Tibetan outfits, danced in the streets outside the hotel.
PHOTO: REUTERS
His office in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, his adopted home, announced earlier in June that the Dalai Lama would travel to the US to undergo “medical treatment” on his knees, but no further details have been released.
A group of senior US lawmakers, including former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, met the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala last week and said they would not allow China to influence the choice of his successor.
That visit, which sparked heavy criticism from China, followed passage of a Bill by the US Congress that seeks to encourage Beijing to hold talks with Tibetan leaders – frozen since 2010.
It is unclear whether the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing sees as a dangerous separatist, will meet any US officials during his trip.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Many exiled Tibetans fear Beijing will name a rival successor to the Dalai Lama, bolstering control over a land it poured troops into in 1950.
The Dalai Lama was just 23 when he escaped the Tibetan capital Lhasa in fear for his life after Chinese soldiers eviscerated an uprising against Beijing’s forces, crossing the snowy Himalayas into India.
He stepped down as his people’s political head in 2011, passing the baton of secular power to a government chosen democratically by some 130,000 Tibetans around the world. REUTERS, AFP
