On Monday, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibet, remarked that Buddhists in Chinese-occupied Tibet are facing tough times but are showing endurance.
In his Shewatsel home in Leh, the Dalai Lama spoke to the 16th Annual Working Committee Meeting of the U-Tsang Cholkha Association.
We Tibetans have worked very hard, according to the Dalai Lama, to preserve our language and culture. More and more modern day Chinese are curious in Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism.
“Tibetan Buddhism is compatible with science because it is based on logic and reason, as well as the process of study, reflection, and meditation,” he said.
He pointed out that more and more individuals in both China and the West are interested in this culture without necessarily committing to any one religion.
Educated people and scientists are taking an interest in Tibetan Buddhism, he said, so the general public today has a far deeper grasp of it than in the past.
Tibetan Buddhism is based on the teachings of Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, Dharmakirti, and Dignaga, who are all part of the Nalanda Tradition. Our culture has developed through time to become one that contributes positively to the global community. This is why we Tibetans may take pride in our heritage, he continued.
The Dalai Lama also visited the hamlet of Stok, 15 kilometers south of Leh, where he prayed in front of a sitting golden Gautama Buddha statue that is 71 feet tall.
A great crowd had come to see him, and he spoke to them as well. On August 8, 2016, the monument was blessed by the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama accepted an invitation to tea from the former Queen of Ladakh, Stok Gyalmo, and her grandson.
