Thiruvananthapuram: The 17th Karmapa Lama,
spiritual head of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism who
fled to India in 1999, on Friday said he hoped to return to Tibet
one day.
"I am young. And the world is changing day by day. I hope
I will be able to return to Tibet some day," he told reporters
at Saigramam at Thonnakkal near here.
The Karmapa Lama, here to consecrate a statue of Lord
Buddha, said India and China had a strong and long-standing
relationship. Tibet as a region also had strong connections
with India, dating back to thousands of years.
He said the presence of Tibetans led by the Dalai Lama in
India was not for political purposes, but for the benefit of
all Tibetans and the world in general. The Tibetan community
felt that a relationship based on spirituality and culture
could iron out political differences, he said.
The Karmapa Lama said Tibetans were extremely grateful to
the Indian government for allowing them to stay in the country
and set up institutions to preserve Tibetan culture.
"I am personally very grateful to the Indian government
for allowing me to settle here and very satisfied with their
kindness," he said. The 25 year-old Lama, enthroned when he
was seven at Tsurphu monastery in Tibet, said he had to flee
from Tibet 10 years ago to "follow the path of spirituality".
"From a personal point of view, I would say my situation
in Tibet was not all that bad. But I had the responsibility to
become a spiritual leader and learn from the masters in exile.
Had I stayed in Tibet, my freedom would have been restricted
by the Communist government," he said.
PTI
