Amid tension with China, Dalai Lama to visit Sikkim

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, September 24

Amid heightened tension with China over not allowing Indian athletes from Arunachal Pradesh to participate in the Asian Games and issuance of a controversial map, the Dalai Lama will visit Sikkim on October 11 and 12. His visit to Sikkim comes after a gap of 13 years.

On a request of the Sikkim Government, the Tibetan spiritual leader will deliver sermons at the Paljor Stadium for two days. On October 11, he will speak on Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s 37 practices of a Bodhisattva (laklen sodunma). On October 12, he will confer the Empowerment of Guru Padmasambhava: A Collection of the Quintessential Guru Yoga Practice of Guru Padmasambhava (thukdrup yangnying kundue).

Though the Dalai Lama’s office has issued a schedule for only two days, the Sikkim Government has made a schedule of his five-day visit from October 10 to 14. Sources said the Dalai Lama would arrive in Sikkim on October 10. The schedule for October 13 and 14 would be released later.

Prem Singh Tamang, Chief Minister of Sikkim, had recently visited Dharamsala to schedule the itinerary of the Dalai Lama’s visit to the state. Sikkim has significant population of Buddhists who revere the Dalai Lama as their spiritual guru.

After Sikkim, the Dalai Lama will go to West Bengal on October 15.