The Dalai Lama returned to northern India on Wednesday after a successful knee surgery in the United States.
In late June, the Dalai Lama, 89, underwent knee replacement surgery in New York and stayed for several weeks of recovery at the Nappi Farmhouse in Syracuse.
After the surgery, Dr. David Mayman, chief of the adult reconstruction and joint replacement service at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, said the Dalai Lama was recovering well and that his condition was expected to continue to improve over the next six months to a year.
Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama’s physicians, Dr. Tsetan D Sadutshang and Dr. Tsewang Tamdin, said last month that his surgical incision had completely healed without complications.
On Wednesday, hundreds of the spiritual leader’s followers cheered for the Dalai Lama at the airport and his residence. The colorful celebration—which included drums, traditional dances, and Tibetan and Buddhist flags—took place in Dharamshala, a hillside town in northern India, that has been the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. China has controlled Tibet since the early 1950s.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrives at his hotel in New York on June 23, 2024, as he prepared to undergo knee surgery. The Dalai Lama returned to northern India on Wednesday after the successful procedure.
Adam Gray/AFP via Getty Images
The Dalai Lama formally relinquished his political responsibilities in 2011 and gave them to the Tibetan community’s elected leadership. However, he has remained the spiritual leader of the community, which is predominantly Buddhist.
In recent years, Beijing has stepped up its campaign of cultural assimilation targeting Tibetans, Turkic Muslim Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region and other minority groups. There are more than 100,000 Tibetan refugees in India, Nepal and Bhutan, according to Tibetan organizations, but many have also moved to countries like the United States, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.
While the Dalai Lama was in New York, senior U.S. officials met with him, which was reportedly protested by China.
On August 21, Uzra Zeya, under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights and special coordinator for Tibetan issues, along with Kelly Razzouk, special assistant to the president and national security council senior director for democracy and human rights, traveled to New York City for an audience with the Dalai Lama.
During the meeting, Zeya conveyed “best wishes for His Holiness’s good health and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to advancing the human rights of Tibetans and supporting efforts to preserve their distinct historical, linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage” on behalf of President Joe Biden, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of State.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, said Beijing had made “serious protests” with the U.S. over its meeting with the Dalai Lama and called the spiritual leader “a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion.”
China claims that the Dalai Lama is seeking Tibet’s independence from Beijing. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama says he is just advocating for Tibet’s substantial autonomy and protection of its Buddhist culture.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
