Procedure follows 2024 replacement of Tibetan spiritual leader’s other knee.
By Dickey Kundol, Tenzin Dhonyoe and Tawang for RFA Tibetan
NEW DELHI, India — The Dalai Lama has undergone surgery on his left knee on Monday, his personal physician confirmed.
Dr. Tsetan D. Sadutshang, the Tibetan spiritual leader’s longtime personal physician, appeared in a video statement from New Delhi, where the Dalai Lama, 90, is recuperating following the procedure.
“Today, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama had a very successful knee surgery on his left knee, and his right knee was done in New York in 2024,” Dr. Sadutshang said. “I am here to relay this message to all the Tibetans and devotees inside Tibet and around the world.”
It was publicly announced Thursday that the Dalai Lama would depart Friday from his home in Dharamsala, India to travel to New Delhi to “undergo medical treatment on his left knee.”
The Tibetan spiritual leader was seen waving from the front passenger seat of a black sport utility vehicle as he was sent off by well-wishers gathered at the airport before his flight.
In the video statement, Dr. Sadutshang said that the Dalai Lama “is out of recovery post-surgery, and he is back in his room,” and conveyed thanks to the medical workers at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
Prayers for the Dalai Lama’s recovery took place in the Indian cities of Ladakh, Dharamsala, New Delhi, Gangtok, and Mundgod.
“We pray for the successful knee surgery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” Kunzang Yangdol of the Women Wing of Ladakh Buddhist Association told RFA.
She said that women in different villages chanted Buddhist mantras “from 5:00 AM with the hope that His Holiness heals well.”
In 2024, the Dalai Lama underwent a total knee replacement on his right knee at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Tibetans gathering outside the hospital and his Manhattan hotel bearing Tibetan khata scarves and flowers, praying for his swift recovery.
The Dalai Lama turns 91 on July 6. According to his office, the spiritual leader is expected to travel to Ladakh towards the end of June for an extended visit.
Additional reporting by Thinley Choedon.Translated by Tenzin Dickyi, edited by Kalden Lodoe, Charlie Dharapak and Eugene Whong.
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