The Dalai Lama arrived in New York on Sunday, where he was scheduled to receive treatment for his knees, a few days after a meeting between the Tibetan spiritual leader and a number of American officials that angered China.
The 88-year-old Buddhist monk, known internationally for his relentless campaigning for greater autonomy for his native Tibet, announced in early June that he would travel to the United States for treatment, his office announced.
The date and nature of the treatment have not been determined.
The spiritual leader was received by a crowd of worshipers amid the intense heat around the hotel where he resides near the famous Central Park. Tenzin Pasang told AFP that the Dalai Lama's arrival was a “great moment.”
“Everyone is affected because he is our leader,” added the 18-year-old American of Tibetan origin.
The Dalai Lama has been a political and spiritual leader of Tibetans since the mid-20th century and has been demonized in China, but close to the United States.
A group of US officials, including former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, visited him on Wednesday at his home in Dharamsala, northern India.
China, which annexed Tibet in 1950, criticized the visit through its embassy in New Delhi, describing the Dalai Lama as a “political exile who engages in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion.”
Although his health shows no signs of deteriorating, the man who represents Tibet to the whole world has significantly reduced his trips abroad.
Many Tibetans fear seeing Beijing appoint a successor to the Dalai Lama in order to ensure its full control over the Himalayan lands.
af-aem/iba
© Agence France-Presse
