Dalai Lama arrives in US for medical treatment, makes first visit to the country since 2017

Days after former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi along with a delegation from the United States met Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in India, the famous Buddhist teacher arrived in the United States. The exiled Tibetan leader landed in New York on Sunday and is visiting the country for medical treatment.  

This marked the Dalai Lama’s first visit to the United States since 2017. Upon arrival, the 88-year-old was greeted by hundreds of cheering and chanting supporters. The spiritual guru has been suffering from issues with his knees and went to New York to seek treatment regarding that.  

In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet as the region still longs for liberation. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has been battling with numerous health problems for several years.  

More from World

Nepal's new PM pays homage to people died during the Gen Z protest in her first national address This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal

Dalia Lama: A fan favourite in New York

Some of the Tibetan leader’s supporters arrived hours ahead of time to make sure they could catch sight of him. “I knew I had to come here for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I think waiting outside for the past four or five hours is definitely worth it,”   a woman named Tenzin Kunkyi told  Reuters.  

“There is a strong sense of community when you’re here, everyone’s passing around bread … along with getting a blessing from seeing His Holiness, we also strengthen our Tibetan bond here outside,” she added.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

‘The cries of this widow will echo’: In first public remarks, Erika Kirk warns Charlie’s killers they’ve ‘unleashed a fire’

Trump urges Nato to back sanctions on Russia, calls for 50–100% tariffs on China

It is still unclear whether Dalai Lama will be meeting any US officials during in his trip. For time immemorial, Beijing sees the Tibetan leader as a dangerous separatist.

The visit came just days after a group of lawmakers including Pelosi met Dalai Lama. During the meeting, the American delegation assured the Tibetan leader that the United States would not allow China to influence the choice of his successor.  

Some of these lawmakers are also trying to push Beijing to restart talks with Tibetan leaders, which have been stalled since 2010.  

_With inputs from Reuters. _