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Featured StoriesMessages from Buddhist leaders on Tibet earthquake
The Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama offered his condolences to victims of a devastating earthquake which hit a remote northwestern area of China on Wednesday, killing at least 400 people. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said he would organize a special prayer service in his home in exile, Dharamsala, in northern India and would explore ways in which he could help.
“We pray for those who have lost their lives in this tragedy and their families and others who have been affected,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement.
“A special prayer service is being held at the main temple (Tsuglagkhang) here at Dharamsala on their behalf. It is my hope that all possible assistance and relief work will reach these people. I am also exploring how I, too, can contribute to these efforts,” the Dalai Lama said, without elaborating. Read more.
The Karmapa
This message from the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa comes via the Kagyu office:
“I was extremely saddened to hear of the catastrophic loss of human life and the severe destruction caused by the recent earthquake in the region of Yushu in Tso-ngon [Qinghai Province]. I am now leading a group of Kagyu monasteries in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and other areas in prayers and virtuous activities dedicated to the deceased, so that their fears of the transitions between life and death may be eased. I am also offering prayers for any great masters from all the Tibetan spiritual lineages whose lives may have been lost.
“I am holding the survivors of this tragedy in my thoughts as well, and I hope that aid quickly reaches them. By bearing witness to the harshness of cyclic existence and allowing this to broaden our hearts and minds, may we all be able to extend our effort in meaningful ways, for the sake of both the living and the dead. I offer my deeply heartfelt aspiration that all affected by this calamity will see the swift easing of the pain of separation from those they love.”
The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje
April 14, 2010