New Delhi:

The Dalai Lama said on Saturday he is recovering from a knee surgery and feels “physically fit”, brushing aside rumours of ill health on his 89th birthday.

“Recently I had surgery on my knee, which has given me some problem. However, I am recovering and have no problem at all now,” the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism said in a video message from the United States, where he is recuperating.

“There may be people trying to confuse you about my health, saying that the Dalai Lama has gone to a hospital and is undergoing treatments, and so on, making my condition sound grave. You don’t need to trust such misinformation,” he said.

A charismatic figure who popularised Buddhism internationally, the Dalai Lama won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping alive the Tibetan cause in exile. He fled to India in 1959, nine years after China sent troops into the Himalayan region in 1950, saying it was liberating Tibetan “serfs”.

As the spiritual leader ages and battles health problems, the appointment of his successor has become a looming issue for Tibetans struggling for more autonomy in China or outright independence. Tibetan Buddhists believe that learned monastics are reincarnated after death as newborns.

The Dalai Lama has said he will clarify questions about succession – including whether and where he would be reincarnated – around his 90th birthday.

“I am nearly 90 now but I don’t feel unhealthy, except for the slight discomfort in my legs. I would like to thank all my fellow Tibetans in and outside Tibet for your prayers on my birthday,” he said, adding that some issues are part of ageing.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of Buddhists and well-wishers around the world are to gather to celebrate and pray for the long life of a leader who for them represents the strongest hope of an eventual return to Tibet.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dharmashala:

Lord Buddha’s sacred Kapilawasthu relics, situated at a holy temple in Sri Lanka, will be offered to the Dalai Lama on Thursday morning, the office of Dalai Lama said in a statement.

The sacred relics are located at RajaGuru Sri Subuthi Waskaduwa Maha Viharaya, a Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka.

Notably, the Kapilavastu relics hold immense historical and spiritual significance, connecting the devotees to the profound legacy of Lord Buddha.

The Sri Subhuthi Maha Viharaya in Waskaduwa houses 21 relics of the Lord Buddha.

‘Waskaduwe Mahindawamsa Nayaka Thero’ is the custodian of these precious Kapilawasthu relics, which have been preserved and protected for generations till now at Sri Subhuthi Maha Viharaya in Waskaduwa, Sri Lanka.

In February, Dalai Lama, on the occasion of Chotrul Duechen, gave a short general teaching from the Jataka Tales at the Main Tibetan Temple, Tsuglagkhang, in the Himachal Pradesh hill town of Dharamshala, which was attended by over 3000 Tibetan followers, including Buddhist monks, nuns and foreigners from different parts of the world.

Chotrul Duechen is the day of offerings and is celebrated on the 15th day of the 1st Tibetan month. The day, which means Great Day of Miraculous Manifestations,” is one of the four Buddhist festivals commemorating four events in the life of the Buddha.

Earlier in March, the relics of Lord Buddha and those of his two main disciples, Arahant Sariputta and Maha Moggallana, were sent on a 25-day exposition across four cities in Thailand.

The exposition drew a phenomenal response, during which over 4 million devotees from Thailand and other countries in the Mekong region paid homage to the relics.

The revered relics’ exposition, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), travelled to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Krabi provinces, starting from New Delhi on February 22.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dharamshala:

The Dalai Lama on Saturday congratulated jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi on winning the Nobel Peace Prize and said the award was also in recognition of the vital role women play in people’s lives. Mohammadi, 51, was awarded the prize on Friday in recognition of her tireless campaigning for women’s rights and democracy and against the death penalty.

In a letter to her on Saturday, the Tibetan spiritual leader said, “Today, the values of democracy, transparency, respect for human rights, and equality are increasingly recognised on every side as universal values, which can only benefit us all.”

“I have met and held discussions with previous Nobel laureates, including your sometime colleague, Mrs. Shirin Ebadi. I admire their efforts to overcome discrimination against women and improve society in a peaceful way. I believe that the award of this Nobel Peace Prize is also in recognition of the vital role women play in the lives of us all from the very day we are born,” the Dalai Lama wrote.

He said there is a growing desire for change in the world, a change that will see conflicts resolved through dialogue and non-violence.

“The foundation of such change will be kindness, compassion and human responsibility. I believe that this goal can be achieved through education based on a deeper appreciation of the oneness of humanity. Because we are so interconnected, this is a question of the well-being of us all,” he wrote.