His Holiness expresses sadness on loss of life and property caused by cyclone Bulbul
DHARAMSALA, 11 Nov: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama today expressed sadness at the loss of life and property caused by cyclone Bulbul in West Bengal and offered his condolences to the families who have lost the loved ones.
In a missive to the state’s Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee the 84 year old Tibetan leader wrote that he “appreciate that every effort is being made to rescue those affected and that relief efforts are underway” while expressing his deep condolences to the Chief Minister and the families that have lost loved ones in the devastating calamity.
As a mark of solidarity with the people of West Bengal, a donation from the Dalai Lama Trust has been offered to the relief and rescue efforts, the Tibetan leader’s office said in a statement on the official website dalailama.com.
the Tibetan spiritual leader concluded by recalling two great Buddhist masters from Bengal, the Dalai Lama said, “we have a special regard for Bengal. This is because Shantarakshita, the great philosopher and dialectician who established Samye, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Tibet, in the 8th century CE, and Dipankara Atisha, who revived the practice of Buddhism in the 11th century, both came from Bengal.”
Cyclone ‘Bulbul’, which barrelled through the coastal districts of West Bengal before hurtling towards Bangladesh, claimed at least 10 lives and affected at least 2.73 lakh families in different parts of the Bengal according to official reports on Sunday.