Dalai Lama hospitalized with chest infection, stable and will be treated for 2 days
The Dalai Lama has been hospitalized in India after contracting a chest infection. He is reportedly in a stable condition, his spokesman said Wednesday. His spokesman also revealed that he is likely to spend one or two days in the hospital.
The 83-year-old's spokesman Tenzin Taklha also said the Tibetan spiritual leader is under medication and is feeling much better. Taklha spoke to CNN and said the spiritual leader had returned to his home in Dharamsala, India, after attending a meeting with youth leaders in the Indian capital of New Delhi when he experienced "some discomfort".
The aide further added, "He was brought to Delhi for check up. The doctors said he had some sort of a chest infection. He is fine and stable. He'll be treated for two more days."
The north Indian hill town of Dharamsala has been his headquarters since he fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Last month marked the 60th anniversary of when the Buddhist monk had fled Tibet for exile in India.
The Dalai Lama usually spends several months a year traveling the world to teach Buddhism and highlight the Tibetans' struggle for greater freedom in China. "Long-distance traveling is tiresome. Generally, he is in very good health. But he is taking precautions," he told The Associated Press. Answering a question related to Tibet's future with China, he reiterated that he is not seeking independence for Tibet, but would prefer a "reunion" with China under mutually acceptable terms.
During a recent interview, the Dalai Lama was asked about what could happen after his death and he said, "In (the) future, in case you see two Dalai Lamas come, one from here, in a free country, one is chosen by Chinese, and then nobody will trust, nobody will respect (the one chosen by China). So, that's an additional problem for the Chinese. It's possible, it can happen."
With inputs from AP.