In the morning of 18 August 2023, His Holiness the Dalai Lama flew from Leh to Khaltse in the Sham Valley west of Leh. He landed at the helipad near the teaching ground in Khaltse after a flight of less than half an hour. He was accorded a warm welcome by the local community led by the Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Tashi Gyalson, representatives of various organisations and religious communities of Sham region.

On his way to the teaching ground, His Holiness inaugurated the sites of a proposed degree college and a new residence (Phodrang) for him and his household.

His Holiness was then requested to address the gathering estimated to number more than 15,000 people.

“Today” he began, “I am very pleased to meet the people of this region, who show me such affection regardless of whether they are a religious or not.

“I have visited many different places across the world and have concluded that we are all the same as human beings. All of us cherish love and affection, therefore it’s extremely important to promote and adopt these qualities among ourselves. We’ve all been nurtured in the shelter of our mother’s love and affection from the moment we were born.

“It is wonderful that there is a growing sense these days of the need to promote these heartfelt qualities. Although there has been tremendous progress in material development, thinking of others in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’ has led to widespread jealousy and suspicion. One way to counter these negative feelings is to cultivate an appreciation of the oneness of humanity.

His Holiness emphasized that whether you believe in religion or not, it is important to cultivate warm-heartedness and live a meaningful life. This is the way to be happy and live in peace.