His Holiness the Dalai Lama Returns to Dharamsala

July 29th 2010

Nubra Valley, Ladakh, J&K, India, 28 July 2010 (tibetonline.tv) - His Holiness the Dalai Lama returned to Dharamsala today from Ladakh after concluding an eight-day visit to Buddhist monasteries and schools in the region's picturesque Nubra Valley.

A group of senior monastic officials and representatives of local administration, including Thiksey Rinpoche, Chogon Rinpoche, Tseten Namgyal, MLA, deputy commissioner, president of Ladakh Buddhist Association and executive councilor, Nubra, were present at the Thoise Airbase to see off His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

"I am very happy that my programme here went on successfully and hope to visit again in the future," His Holiness said before boarding the plane at 8:30 am this morning.

On the final day of his visit to Disket Monastery yesterday, His Holiness gave a discourse on Lamtso Namsum to around 15,000 devotees.

His Holiness also gave a separate audience to around 500 foreigners. In his brief address, His Holiness told them to follow their own ancestral religion and at the same time learn from other traditions. He spoke on his commitments in promoting positive human values and inter-faith harmony.

In the afternoon, His Holiness inaugurated an eco-friendly solar building at Lamdon Model Primary School. The building will raise the room temperature to 17 centigrade during freezing winter when the mercury drops to -40 degrees. The project was funded by a France-based organisation. The school has a total strength of 300 students.  In his address, His Holiness underlined the importance of learning both traditional and modern education in order to get inner happiness and material development. He emphasised the need to put into practice what he has preached from the teachings of Buddha and other learned Buddhist masters.

His Holiness was later invited as a guest at a public talk by five Buddhist scholars jointly organised by Nalanda and Atisha Buddhist Associations. The Nalanda Buddhist Association, which was established on 3 June 2005, works towards introducing Buddhism to youths by conducting regular classes every Sunday. The Atisha Buddhist Association was set up in 1988 with the aim to teach key sets of Buddhist texts to the local people in colloquial language.

Nubra Valley is called by locals as "Dumra" (meaning garden in Tibetan) as the vast expanse of land is adorned with beautiful flowers. The region, which has a total population of around 15,000, is known for its harmony between the Buddhist and Muslim communities.

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