Written by Rinchen.

I would like to begin by thanking His Holiness The Dalai Lama for blessing and bringing so much joy to all the people of Ladakh. Chhaksal.

Each day of His Holiness’s presence in Ladakh has been filled with beauty and wonder for each and every Ladakhi in so many different ways. His Holiness’s interfaith visits, secular teachings, religious teachings, visits to Zanskar and Lingshed, and the various functions that were hosted in his honour, brought blessings upon and joy to a countless number of beings who had the sode and sonam (luck and merit) to be in His Holiness’s presence. We Ladakhis are truly honoured to have had His Holiness visit Ladakh as his first destination since the pandemic broke out.

We will miss all the beautiful moments that His Holiness’s visit brought and now look forward to His Holiness’s visit next year.

Ever since His Holiness’s arrival, Ladakh has been quite literally beaming with blessings. His Holiness’s long visit has filled our lives with joy and hope and this month has been the most eventful in the year. But we cannot only take, we must also give, and the best offering to a Tsawe Lama is to practise what our Tsawe lama teaches. So we must try to develop bodhicitta mind, that is, the compassionate and wise mind of enlightenment. And for this, the first step is trying to develop compassion for all beings and recognizing that everyone else too wants to be happy just like we do. And these are not my wise thoughts, but things I’ve learnt and am learning from His Holiness’s teachings and speeches. What I may have picked on the way may not be accurate, but since all that I’ve learnt within this month has given me a great sense of peace, inspiration and most importantly hope, I want to share the little of what I’ve learnt with others. Because sometimes, hope is what keeps you alive and inspires you to truly live. Another tenet that I learned from the teachings, which I’d like to share in a layman’s words is that of not wasting one’s merit. That the sonam, that is merit, we have earned over eons must not be tarnished for either friends or foes. And hence, we must always keep compassion as the core of our existence. There are so many more profound learnings from the teachings which I do not feel equipped to expound upon except through phrases: the importance of meditating on emptiness; how thinking in a way that transcends this life will benefit our current life as well; oneness of humanity; warmheartedness; and hope. (please note, these are just bits of what I learnt as a layman, not the actual detailed teachings.)

Through a secular lense, His Holiness’s guidance becomes even more significant in an age where globalization is slowly translating into homogenization. Moreover, with various hegemonies arising in various ways, the leadership of His Holiness in encouraging us to uphold our culture, is a very strong guiding light. We must heed His Holiness’s words vis-à-vis preservation of culture, language and script, expanding education beyond material goals, oneness of humanity and a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood unto all.

No words can describe the joy and beautiful times His Holiness brought to all the people of Ladakh. No words can describe our gratitude and reverence for His Holiness. No words can describe the hopes generated in our hearts. No words can describe how we are now looking forward to His Holiness’s visit next year.

The past month has been beautifully surreal to say the least. We’ve had occasion to revive our spiritual journey, occasions to dress up traditionally, occasions that brought everyone together from across oceans, occasions to understand religion, occasions to look beyond religion, occasions of love, occasions of recognition, occasions of laughter and through them all occasions of joy.

I hope that every year we are blessed with His Holiness’s long visits. I hope that everyday with His Holiness’s blessings we can develop compassion towards all beings.

Every summer we shall look forward to all the joy that His Holiness brings along. Every summer we shall look forward to celebrate the good fortune of having a spiritual leader and guide like His Holiness. Chhaksal.

Until then we’ll keep these memories. Until we are all brought together once again with His Holiness’s blessings.

Until we meet again.

Julley and Tashi Delek.