Dalai Lama Said As his followers celebrated his 89th birthday on Saturday, he said he was in “great spirits” and recovering from recent knee replacement surgery in New York.
“Some people may try to confuse you by saying that the Dalai Lama has gone to hospital for treatment and make it appear as if my health is serious. There is no need to believe such false information,” the exiled leader said. Tibetan Buddhism said in a video:.
“I’m generally fine, so please just relax and take it easy.”
In late June, the Dalai Lama visited the United States for the first time since 2017, where he underwent surgery at the renowned Hospital for Special Surgery on the Upper East Side, consistently ranked as one of the best orthopedic hospitals in the country.
The surgery on June 28 was successful and he has been recuperating at the luxury Park Hyatt hotel on West 57th Street since then and is expected to make a full recovery.
Dozens of devotees have gathered outside the hotel in recent days to pray for his recovery and celebrate his birthday.
But his advanced age and health concerns have many Tibetans worried about who will succeed him, particularly those who want greater autonomy or complete independence from China, which annexed Tibet in 1951.
In 1959, the then 23-year-old Dalai Lama fled to India after a rebellion against Chinese rule in Tibet was put down.
The Dalai Lama has said that when he turns 90 he will answer all questions about his succession, including whether he is a reincarnation.
“I’m almost 90 years old and I don’t feel healthy except for a little discomfort in my feet,” he said.
“I would like to thank all Tibetans inside and outside Tibet for their wishes on my birthday.”
With post wire.
