Dalai Lama holds special congregation for his followers

Dharamsala, Jun 28 (ANI): Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama held a special congregation for his devotees and admirers at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

The sermons were organised at the special request of a group of Buddhist devotees from Vietnam.

The two-day spiritual teachings are based on Tibetan Buddhist teacher Je Tsongkhapa's Praise to the Buddha for His Teachings on Dependent Origination (Tendrel Toepa) and also confer an Avalokiteshvera Permission Initiation (Chenresig Jenang).

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama will arrive here to give teachings on the text in pace of dependent origination. This means the original text is written by one of the famous Tibetan scholars, Buddhist scholars Je Tsongkhapa and the Je Tsongkhapa is praising the teachings of the Buddha," said Lobsang Wangyal, a Tibetan journalist.

Over five thousand Tibetan followers including Buddhist monks, nuns and foreigners gathered to attend the spiritual discourse by the Dalai Lama.

David, a visitor from USA, said he had come to attend the spiritual discourse to broaden his perspective towards life.

"I have seen a lot of foreigners here, actually lot of people especially travelling a lot who are only interested in hearing of what Dalai Lama has to say. I think it is important that so many people think he is such a good teacher and such a good leader and he preaches kindness which is always a good value to talk about," said David.

Recently, the Dalai Lama, who has relinquished political power in the Tibetan government-in-exile, declined the offer to remain as its nominated symbolic head of the Tibetan people.

He made his wish known after addressing members of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile and fellow monks who had gathered to discuss the devolution of the Dalai Lama's administrative powers.

In March 2011, the Dalai Lama had sent a letter to the Tibetan Parliament in-exile saying that he wanted to devolve his political powers and advised to have a meeting at the earliest to work out the necessary changes in the Charter.

An estimated 80,000 Tibetans, along with their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, arrived in India in 1959 after an unsuccessful uprising against Chinese rule.

China has ruled Tibet since Communist troops marched into the Roof of the World 1950. (ANI)