Dharamsala, July 20 – The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. received three special gifts for its collection from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. At an event on Monday (19 July) the Librarian, Dr. James Billington, received the gifts from the Tibetan leader’s Special Envoy Lodi Gyari.
The three gifts were an 18th century Thangka of the Buddha from the Paksam Trishing collection; a Mandala offering set; and a golden butter lamp.
Gyari Rinpoche said His Holiness the Dalai Lama had wished to gift some things to the library during His visit to the Library in February this year. Rinpoche said the gifts would be strengthening the bond between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the United States. 102 years ago, William Rockhill had received some gifts from the 13th Dalai Lama, which later became a part of the Library’s collection.
Dr Billington, in his remarks, said he was honoured and humbled to accept the very special gifts from His Holiness. He said that when His Holiness visited the Library he had the opportunity to show him the gifts given by his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama, to William Rockhill in 1908. These included a beautiful thangka and a copy of the Tibetan text on the perfection of wisdom, both highly symbolic of the special meeting.
Dr Billington said today’s gifts also have special symbolic significance. He said they reminded him of the Library’s core mission, to offer the light of wisdom and learning to the world through preserving a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations. He said this includes the Library’s Tibetan collection consisting of nearly 13,000 volumes.
Librarian Billington requested Gyari Rinpoche to thank His Holiness for the gifts, and welcomed His Holiness to visit again.
