Hundreds of supporters cheered and chanted as the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, arrived in New York on Sunday ahead of receiving medical attention for his knees.
A limousine carrying the 88-year-old waved from its open window as it drove up to his Manhattan hotel. Led by attendants, he proceeded slowly to the entrance.
Following the failure of his revolt against Chinese control in Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has long struggled with health issues.
A few admirers showed up several hours early to guarantee they would see a man travelling to the US for the first time since 2017.
“I knew I had to come here for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I think waiting outside for the past four or five hours is worth it,” said Tenzin Kunkyi.
“There is a strong sense of community when you’re here, everyone’s passing around bread … along with getting a blessing from seeing His Holiness, we also strengthen our Tibetan bond here outside,” she added.
It is unknown if the Dalai Lama, who is viewed as a dangerous separatist by Beijing, will have any meetings with American authorities when he is there. He claims he is not advocating for Tibet’s independence.
Protesters danced in the streets outside the hotel, many of them wearing vibrant robes.
“We wish Dalai Lama a long life. And we wish Dalai Lama (would) visit China to say to the Tibetan community ‘Hi, hello’,” said Byamba Suren, who left Virginia at 3 a.m. to drive to New York.
After meeting with the Dalai Lama in India last week, a delegation of US legislators declared they would not permit China to have any say in who becomes his successor. They wish to press Beijing to pick up the negotiations with the leaders of Tibet, which have been on hold since 2010.
or a specific category with our 
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.