The three-day program on the teachings of Buddha and meditation at Kalachakra Ground in Bihar’s Bodh Gaya came to an end, as the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama greeted Buddhists across the world with a Happy New Year. The program was attended by thousands of devotees who offered special prayers to the Tibetan spiritual leader and wished for his long life.
The Tibetan artists also presented dance and music and devotees from across the world participated in the joyful event.
“Today’s program was to offer prayers for his holiness Dalai Lama. In the beginning, his holiness gave the best wishes on the occasion of the new year. Then he said that this is a very precious day today at Bodh Gaya. Today is the new year and all Buddhists are offering prayers for long life. He gave best wishes to the people living here and around the world. He said that his health is well and that he would live till 115 to 120 years of age,” Dalai Lama’s Hindi translator, Kailash Sonbodh quoted the spiritual leader to the news agency ANI.
Sonbodh also added that the prayers offered today were also for the larger “world peace”.
“These prayers are also for world peace. He did not say anything about China today. He gave best wishes to the people, be they from China or elsewhere. He said that change is taking place and things are changing, and the situation will get better,” Sonbodh said.
On Saturday, Dalai Lama accused the Chinese government of decimating Buddhism. The spiritual leader added that the current Chinese government is continuing the idea of Mao Zedong, which terms Buddhism as poison.
“He (Dalai Lama) had said yesterday that in China, the government does not believe in any religion and terms Buddhism as poison. It was an idea of Mao Zedong which they (the Chinese government) are still continuing. But the public of China has a devotion to him. He himself said that the people of China have devotion to him. He gave best wishes to all of them,” Sonbodh added.
The spiritual leader accused China of carrying out a systematic campaign to destroy Buddhism and weed it out from China. He added that the government of the country has totally failed in its strategy so far.
“We have strong faith in Buddha dharma, when I visit trans-Himalayan regions, I find local people very devoted to dharma and it is the case in Mongolia and in China too though the system (Chinese government) sees dharma as poison and tried to destroy it, they are not successful. Buddhism was harmed by the Chinese government. Buddhism could not be destroyed by China. Even today, there are many people who believe in Buddhism in China,” Dalai Lama said.
(With inputs from ANI)
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