Tibetan civil servants offer long-life prayer to Dalai Lama

Dharamshala, April 22: Civil servants of exile Tibetan government on Friday offered a long-life prayer to Dalai Lama at the main temple here and pledged their sincere service.

The prayer event, organized by Central Tibetan Administration based here, is kept an exclusive official affair that was attended by Tibetan civil servants of all ranks and high lamas and monks of Namgyal monastery.

Speaking to Tibet Express after the long-life prayer offering, Ven. Tsering Phuntsok, Minister for Department of Culture and Religion, said the Dalai Lama has stressed the need of all Tibetans to keep themselves abreast of his retirement plans and its benefits to them in the long run during his speech to the civil servants.

“Dalai Lama asked us (the civil servants) to take it as a duty to make all Tibetans fully understand the positive implications of his retirement plans,” Phuntsok said.

The Dalai Lama has recently announced plans to devolve his political power to an elected leader by popular choice even as he retains the spiritual leadership role. The Noble laureate however explained his retirement decision as stemming from a desire “to benefit the Tibetans in the long-run and not out of his desire to shirk responsibility.”

The Dalai Lama also said his retirement however does not mean “complete dissociation” from the political and administrative duties of the exiled government in its struggle for genuine autonomy from China which invaded his country in 1959 forcing him and followers into exile in India.