Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala - Moved by reports of the havoc wrought by Cyclone Bulbul, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has written to the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee. His letter expressed sadness at the loss of life, the devastation of property, as well as the hardship caused to so many people in several districts of the state.
“I appreciate that every effort is being made to rescue those affected and that relief efforts are underway,” he wrote. “As a mark of solidarity with the people of West Bengal, I am making a donation from the Gaden Phodrang Trust of the Dalai Lama to the relief and rescue efforts.
“I would like to express my sympathy to you, to the families who have lost loved ones, and to all affected by this natural disaster.
“In addition to our profound respect for India as a holy land, which has also been home to many Tibetans over the last 60 years,” His Holiness concluded, “we have a special regard for Bengal. This is because Shantarakshita, the great philosopher and dialectician who established Samye, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Tibet, in the 8th century CE, and Dipankara Atisha, who revived the practice of Buddhism in the 11th century, both came from Bengal.”
