Dalai Lama visits MIMC Leh after 32 years
Excelsior Correspondent LEH, Aug 9: The 14th Dalai Lama today visited the Devachan Campus of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC), Leh, marking his return to the campus 32 years after his first historic visit in 1994. The visit carried...
Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Aug 9: The 14th Dalai Lama today visited the Devachan Campus of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC), Leh, marking his return to the campus 32 years after his first historic visit in 1994.
The visit carried special significance for the Mahabodhi family as the Dalai Lama had inaugurated and blessed the Devachan Campus during his first visit, at a time when MIMC was still largely a vision. His return today marked the growth of the institution into a centre dedicated to education, healthcare, meditation, humanitarian service, world peace and universal compassion.
The Dalai Lama was accorded a traditional and reverential welcome by Bhikkhu Sanghasena, Founder and Spiritual Director of MIMC, along with monks, nuns, students, staff, volunteers and members of the Mahabodhi family.
Bhikkhu Sanghasena offered traditional offerings to the Dalai Lama and recalled the beginnings of the Devachan Campus. He highlighted the guiding principles of MIMC, particularly "Meditation in Action and Compassion in Action".
Students of Mahabodhi Residential School presented a song offering to the Dalai Lama and shared details about the institution's vision of holistic education aimed at nurturing compassionate, responsible and socially conscious young people.
A major highlight of the visit was the laying of a foundation stone by the Dalai Lama, followed by his blessing of a sapling. The ceremony symbolised growth, renewal and MIMC's commitment to environmental protection and a sustainable future.
The Dalai Lama also visited the MIMC Buddha Park for World Peace, where he circumambulated the 1,000 Buddha statues, known as Stongsku. The project is a major MIMC initiative dedicated to promoting world peace and the concept of a global human family.
During the visit, Bhikkhu Sanghasena also shared MIMC's future plans, including the proposed Mahakaruna University, envisioned as a centre for the study and propagation of universal compassion.
For MIMC, the Dalai Lama's return after 32 years marked a meaningful continuation of a journey that began with his blessings in 1994.
