Award for His Holiness the Dalai Lama

By Tenzin Samten / August 9, 2022;

Photo: OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who is currently in Ladakh in the north of India, was awarded the Ladakh dPalr Ngam Dusdon Award – Ladakh’s highest civilian honour – on August 5. The award was as an expression of gratitude towards His Holiness for his dedication to the promotion of peace and love in the world, and for his role in helping the Ladakhi people preserve their rich Buddhist cultural heritage. The award was conferred by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), which is based in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, on their anniversary, and the award ceremony took place at Sindhu Ghat on the bank of the Indus River near Leh – which is known as Sengé Tsangpo in Tibetan.

The 87 year old Tibetan leader said that he was pleased to accept the award bestowed to him by people who have unwavering faith and trust in him and continued, “Tibetans and the people of Ladakh enjoy close relations because we share the same Buddhist culture, and this great River Indus, the SengéKhabab that flows between us”.

His Holiness went on to say, “I really appreciate the excellent harmony and friendship that prevails among the various religion communities in Ladakh. All these religious traditions emphasise the importance of helping others and, since we all wish to be happy, we must work to maintain harmony among us, conscious of the oneness of humanity.”

Photo: OHHDL

His Holiness urged his followers to plant more tress and to take care of the environment in order to address the threat of global warming, and reminded everyone that we have a responsibility for future generations and need to take care of today’s environment.

“Since Ladakh is not as wet as Dharamsala during the monsoon, I hope to be able to continue to visit Ladakh regularly in the future—therefore, I look forward to seeing you again,” concluded His Holiness.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been in Ladakh since July 15.

On August 7, His Holiness spoke to over 6,500 members of the Tibetan community living in Ladakh who gathered to hear him at the Tibetan Children’s Village School in Choglamsar.