Dharmshala:  Putting aside the controversy relating to the viral child video, what Tibetan Community called it as a vicious Chinese onslaught against the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader on Wednesday left for Delhi early this morning to attend the two-day meeting of the Global Buddhist Summit from 20 – 21 April in Delhi.

For the past one-week, distraught Tibetans had taken-out massive processions at Mcleodganj, Ladakh, Darjeeling and many other towns to express full solidarity with the Dalai Lama and condemn sections of the media for a highly misrepresented version of the video of the child.

This morning, braving rains and inclement weather, Tibetan locals stood in queue to seek blessings of Dalai Lama as his block luxury vehicle moved out of the Palace at Mcleodganj.

Few of the Dalai Lama followers were also in tears.

Mcleodganj is a famous tourist hill station where Dalai Lama had settled in 1959, following a brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa by the Chinese troops. The Dalai Lama was forced to escape into exile and since then he has been living in Dharamsala, northern India.

In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the summit along with keynote speakers including Prof Robert Thurman, a renowned scholar of Buddhism, and Thich Tri Quang, Deputy Patriarch, of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. His Holiness the Dalai Lama will address the summit on Friday, 21 April.

The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), an umbrella group that serves as a platform for Buddhists worldwide, is organising the event.

The conference will bring together prominent scholars, Sangha leaders, and Dharma practitioners from across the globe to discuss pressing global issues, including peace, environmental sustainability, health, preservation of Nalanda Buddhist tradition, and the significance of Buddha Dharma pilgrimage and Buddha relics as a foundation for India’s cultural ties to countries in South, Southeast, and East, a spokesman of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), headquartered at Mcleodganj, Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.

Reports say the Summit is an effort towards engaging the global Buddhist Dhamma leadership and scholars on matters of Buddhist and universal concerns, and to come up with policy inputs to address them collectively. The discussion in the Summit will explore how the Buddha Dhamma’s fundamental values can provide inspiration and guidance in contemporary settings.

The Summit will witness participation of eminent scholars, Sangha leaders and Dharma practitioners from all over the world, who will discuss pressing global issues and look for answers in the Buddha Dhamma that is based on universal values.

The discussions will be held under four themes: Buddha Dhamma and Peace; Buddha Dhamma: Environmental Crisis, Health and Sustainability; Preservation of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition; Buddha Dhamma Pilgrimage, Living heritage and Buddha Relics: a resilient foundation to India’s centuries-old cultural links to countries in South, South-East and East Asia.

The summit’s goal is also to explore Buddhist teachings and practices in order to find solutions to issues like climate change, poverty, and conflict, among others.

Mcleodganj , a fascinating hill station was first discovered by the Britishers 150 years ago.

Old natives recall that McLeodganj, at that time had only a few scattered English homes, each perched precariously on the ridge above the cantonment. After the Dalai Lama chose to make this as his abroad, the popularity of the place including its adjoining Dharamshala town–now district headquarter of Kangra, shot -up as a popular tourist destination.

The Dalai Lama has often said that he will not move from Mcleodganj for the rest of his life.

“I loved this place too much. It has snow-capped mountains, valleys, lakes and beautiful forests,” he said in November 2021 during an interactive session organised by the Foreign Correspondents` Club of Japan (FCCJ) on ‘Cultivating a Good Heart’ on a virtual platform.

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