The Tibet Post

Dharamshala: Hundreds of Tibetans and well-wishers carrying incense, traditional scarves (khata) and bouquets lined the road in Dharamshala this morning as His Holiness the Dalai lama left for visits to Gujarat and Bodhgaya.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will deliver a religious discourse along with Jain scholars at the Jain pilgrimage town of Palitana near Bhavnagar in the Indian state of Gujarat on 3 January.

His Holiness will visit the temple town to attend a free camp for the disabled. J B Shah, the director of Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology, said Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust will organize the camp where over 25,000 physically challenged people will be given calipers, Jaipur feet, tricycles, wheelchairs, hearing aids and cruthes free of cost. Mahendra Mehta, a trustee of Ratna Nidhi, said the ‘Mobility Camp' was inaugurated by Chief Minister Narendra Modi at Palitana on 23 December. Mehta said His Holiness the Dalai Lama was very keen to see for himself how the camp is being managed with so many people.

His Holiness will be in Bodh Gaya to give a five-day teachings at Bodh Gaya from 5 to 9 January. His Holiness will preach Nagarjuna's "In Praise of the Transcendental" (jigten ley depar toepa), Atisha's "Lamp of the Path to Enlightenment" (jangchup lamdron), Longchen Rinpoche's "Mind In Comfort and Ease" (semnyid nyelso) and Tsongkhapa's "Short Version of the Stages of the Path To Enlightenment" (lamrim dhuedhon) from 5 to 8 January.

On the morning of 9 January His Holiness will confer a long life empowerment (tsewang), and a long life offering will be offered to His Holiness.