Bloomington, October 23 — With light rain falling, the Dalai Lama rubbed buttery ghee on his forehead, tossed flower petals and snipped six colorful ribbons to mark Tuesday’s dedication of the new entrance to a Tibetan center founded by his brother.
Scores of Buddhists dressed in brilliantly colored Mongolian dance garb and other traditional costumes lined the entrance of the 108-acre center to greet the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists as he began five days of public events in Indiana.
The 72-year-old monk, wearing maroon and gold robes, made no public remarks at the ribbon-cutting for the red, blue, green and gold arched entrance.
Burning juniper leaves sweetened the air as the Dalai Lama rubbed his forehead with ghee, a clarified butter that was among the rice, cotton and other gifts he accepted at the entrance.
“It’s a truly rare and unforgettable experience just to be in the presence of his Holiness,” said 17-year-old Jeremy Gotwals, a senior at Bloomington North High School dressed in a traditional Tibetan dance costume and carrying a ceremonial wooden dagger.
Rather than discouragement, the rain that muddied the center’s grounds and left a chill in the air offered hope to those assembled to see the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who’s making his fifth visit to Bloomington in 20 years.
“The rain in Tibetan culture, in Buddhist culture, is very auspicious. It means good luck,” said Lisa Morrison, a spokeswoman for the Tibetan Cultural Center.
The center, a hub for Tibetan educational and religious activity, was founded 1979 by Thubten J. Norbu, the Dalai Lama’s eldest brother and the former abbot of a Buddhist monastery who fled Tibet in 1950. Norbu taught Tibetan culture and language at IU from 1965 to 1987.
The center, on the brink of foreclosure as recently as 2½ years ago, announced in August that five donors had helped erase its $1.7 million debt.
The Dalai Lama, who became Tibet’s leader at 15, was proclaimed the 14th Dalai Lama at age 5. He fled the Himalayan region in 1959 during a failed uprising against communist Chinese rule.
Although he remains highly popular among Tibetans and is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, China’s government reviles him as a Tibetan separatist.
Chinese officials lashed out angrily at the U.S. after President Bush presented him with the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest civilian honor, on Oct. 17. The Dalai Lama brushed aside the furor, saying he supports “genuine autonomy,” not independence, for Tibet.
His efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and promote Tibet’s liberation earned him the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.
Morrison said security was heightened Tuesday, with a strong presence by the FBI and State Department officers that kept the Dalai Lama’s public appearance very brief.
“When his Holiness visits, there’s always controversy with the Chinese,” Morrison said.
Earlier, the Dalai Lama took part in an interfaith religious service at a Catholic Church in Bloomington, speaking about the similar message of compassion in the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Native American faiths represented at the ceremony.
“I think if they emphasize the practice of compassion, they’re all the same,” he said in halting English.
Afterward, at the Tibetan center Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan welcomed the Dalai Lama’s arrival in his community, calling him “an icon of peace.”
The Dalai Lama was expected to attend a welcoming dinner Tuesday evening with his entourage and officials of the cultural center. On Wednesday, he begins three days of teachings at the Indiana University Auditorium. He’s scheduled to give public talks Friday at Purdue University in West Lafayette and Saturday at IU’s Assembly Hall.
