In Dharamsala, India, dozens of Buddhist monks prepared and served a meal of rice, dal, and chai tea to over 5,000 people who attended the teachings of the Dalai Lama at the Buddhist Main Temple, Aug. 30 – Sept. 1.
phones among the crowd, and their words were broadcast over FM frequencies to which people listened through ear phones attached to radios, iPhones, and iPods. On my ďŹ rst day, I sat on a mat, cozily close to others, and slightly out of sight of the Dalai Lama. The Spanish translator was four people to my left, her voice soft
but audible. For the second and third days, I chose the courtyard, leaning against a tree, with room to stretch my legs and an umbrella close at hand. In all, it was an idyllic mountain setting. No matter where I sat or roamed, I felt kinship among these people. On August 8, 2011, the Dalai Lama relinquished half of his dual role as both the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people by turning the temporal responsibility over to Lobsang Sangay, who was democratically elected to ďŹ ll that position by Tibetans around the world. On the surface, this is a practical political move for a man of 76 who is much in
Photo: Ivy Lim Meei Jiuan
Photo: Robert Weir
The Dalai Lama delivers a blessing at the closing of the teachings in Dharamsala, India, on Sept. 1, 2011.
demand to speak about Buddhist compassion and world peace. Yet, the action impacts a 350-year tradition. In 1653, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama was the ďŹ rst to become the spiritual and temporal leader of the Buddhist Tibetan people. Every Dalai Lama since, including this one, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, has held this theocratic power. Yet, the change conďŹ rms His Holiness’ belief that restoring a purely spiritual role to the ofďŹ ce of the Dalai Lama will “beneďŹ t Tibetans in the long run.â€?
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