Dalai Lama in Leh for rest, teachings

Leh, July 28 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has reached Leh in Jammu and Kashmir to spend about a month during which he will take rest and deliver lectures, his aides said on Thursday.

The Dalai Lama, 81, will offer teachings from August 11 to August 21 in two sessions, an aide told IANS.

The two-day teachings from August 11 will be held at the Thiksey Monastery, located on top of a hill in Thiksey village, 19 km east of Leh in Ladakh.

He will also deliver teachings at Shewatsel Teaching Ground here from August 19 to 21.

Over 10,000 followers of the Dalai Lama from aboard and India are likely to attend his teachings, the Tibetan government-in-exile in Himachal Pradesh said.

The Dalai Lama's sermons on ethics, non-violence, peace and religious harmony have made him one of the 20th century's most revered gurus.

After a day of rest on Tuesday, the Dalai Lama arrived at the main market of Leh where hundreds were waiting to catch a glimpse of him.

En route, a foreign tourist held out his hands and greeted the Dalai Lama and informed him that he was from Nice in France.

At the Jokhang Temple, the Dalai Lama said: "In the present world, in places like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, there is much violence and killing in the name of religion.

"As believers, it is morally wrong to remain indifferent to this suffering," he said.

Later, Muslims in Leh hosted reception for the Dalai Lama. He walked to a Sunni mosque built in 1666-67, a post on his official website said.

Touching on conflict within the Muslim community, the Dalai Lama said: "It's very unfortunate to see that in many Muslim countries there is conflict between Shias and Sunnis. This is very sad."

The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet during a failed uprising in 1959.