Dalai Lama honoured with long life prayers at Tsuglagkhang

Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple in McLeodganj, came alive with marigold garlands and vibrant Buddhist flags as thousands gathered on Wednesday morning to offer long life prayers for the Dalai Lama. The courtyard was filled with Tibetan devotees, led by monks and dignitaries in a deeply spiritual ceremony.

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The event was sponsored by former students of the Central School for Tibetans, Darjeeling, along with members of the Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey and the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota.

As horns, drums and chanting filled the air, the Dalai Lama entered the temple courtyard in a golf cart, greeting well-wishers and waving warmly from the temple balcony before taking his seat on the throne inside.

The ceremony was presided over by Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, former PM of the Tibetan government-in-exile, flanked by spiritual leaders Keutsang Rinpoche and Chokhor Rinpoche. The prayers began with verses in praise of the Buddha, followed by the Long Life ritual Granting the Essence of Immortality, a sacred text composed by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama after a vision of Guru Padmasambhava.

Special prayers composed by the Dalai Lama’s two tutors and by the revered monk Jamyang Khyentsé Chökyi Lodrö were also recited. The ceremony concluded with blessings for the spread of the Buddha’s teachings, the ‘Words of Truth’, and the flourishing of bodhichitta.

Smiling and waving, the Dalai Lama walked to the courtyard lift after the prayers and departed in the golf cart, warmly acknowledging the devotion of the assembled crowd.