250 Korean Buddhists meet Dalai Lama in India

About 250 Korean Buddhists have traveled to India to receive teaching from the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama for three days, it was reported Tuesday.

According to international media outlets, the three-day teaching started on Sunday upon request from Korean devotees. The talks covered included Tsongkhapa’s “Concise Treatises on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment“ and were held at the main temple in Dharamshala, India, the Dalai Lama’s home and the site of the Tibetan government-in-exile. 

“The world still faces problems like corruption, hypocrisy and bullying of weak by strong despite introduction of rule of law, democracy and freedom of press,” the spiritual leader of Tibet said on his first day of teaching, The Tibet Post International reported. His speech was interpreted into English and Korean.

“Despite making tremendous technological advancement and material development, people still do not have inner happiness and lasting peace in the world. Lack of positive human values breeds negative emotions like greed, jealousy and hatred,” the Dalai Lama said.

It was reported that security has been beefed up at the Dalai Lama’s residence and Buddhist temple following serial bomb blasts in Bodh Gaya and terrorists’ threats against Tibetan monasteries. The 77-year-old Dalai Lama has been at the center of international controversy for decades and Korea has been no exception.

The Korean government has denied his entry several times, arguably mindful of the Chinese government’s disapproval, including in 2005 when he was to receive the Manhae Prize and give scheduled speeches at the 2006 World Religious Leaders’ Conference and the 2006 Gwangju Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.

“There may be a few individuals visiting but there is nothing we can confirm,” said the spokesman of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Korea’s largest Buddhist order, though some of its key figures have apparently been photographed in Dharamshala by international press.

“We are hoping that everything goes well in India. Currently just about everyone in the Korea’s Tibetan Buddhist circle has flown to India to listen to his teaching,” said a staff member at the Gwangseongsa Temple, the country’s only Tibetan Buddhism temple, in Busan.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)