In Pictures: 17,000 gather in New York arena to offer prayers for Dalai Lama
Tibetan spiritual leader tells the crowd ‘I will live for more than 100 years.’
By RFA Tibetan 2024.08.22 New York
The Dalai Lama presides over a prayer ceremony, addressing more than 17,000 people gathered at the UBS Arena in New York, Aug. 22, 2024.
RFA Tibetan
Many gathering before dawn, more than 17,000 people were in attendance at a New York area sports arena to offer prayers for the long life of the 89-year-old Dalai Lama, who said he expected to live past 100.
The Tibetan spiritual leader recently completed over six weeks of physiotherapy in Syracuse, New York, where he was undergoing his recovery and resting after knee replacement surgery on June 28.
The Dalai Lama also spoke about the need for religious harmony and emphasized the principles of secular ethics — an ethics system that appeals to religious and nonreligious alike and is based on the cultivation of genuine compassion.