Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

The Dalai Lama greets Jampa Phunkhang of Medford after arriving at the Hyatt Regency Boston in Boston on Saturday.

Saturday was a day of joy for Buddhists from across the region, as the Dalai Lama arrived in Boston and greeted the faithful who had gathered on the street outside his hotel.

More than 400 people, most of them affiliated with the Tibetan Association of Boston, packed sidewalks along Bedford and Chauncy streets, where Boston police and private security agents cordoned off the intersection and kept the crowds behind barriers as they waited for the spiritual leader.

Advertisement

We are so happy and fortunate that he visits Boston, said Sonam Doma, 43, a Malden resident who was born in India to Tibetan parents.

Like many of those present, Doma wore a traditional Tibetan garment, in her case a colorful chupa that she said was characteristic of the capital city of Lhasa.

Get Fast Forward in your inbox:

Forget yesterday's news. Get what you need today in this early-morning email.

It means a lot, because it is a blessing, Doma said of the Dalai Lamas visit. Tibetan people believe he is a living Buddha.

The spiritual leader greeted the faithful who had gathered on the street outside his hotel.

After arriving about 4 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency, where he will stay during his surprise two-day visit to Boston, the Dalai Lama emerged from the hotels parking garage and walked up to the barricades to greet followers and bless silk scarves and prayer beads brought by the crowd.

He paused for a long moment to speak with 93-year-old Jampa Phunkhang of Medford, who in his youth had been a monk in the Dalai Lamas personal entourage, serving his meals and joining him in the flight from Tibet to India in 1959, according to his daughter, Langze Phunkhang.

Advertisement

The Dalai Lama had previously told Jampa Phunkhang that he should write his autobiography. When the men spoke Saturday, the Dalai Lama asked if Phunkhang had written the book. He replied that he had, and then gave the Dalai Lama a copy, his daughter said.

The Dalai Lama will remain in the city until Monday, giving a speech Sunday morning at the Sheraton Boston Hotel that is expected to attract about 2,000 and meeting in the afternoon with members of the nonprofit Mind & Life Institute, an organization that works to bridge science and spirituality.

His stay in Boston concludes a visit to the United States that included a speech at the University of California, San Diego, a stop that was met with opposition on a campus where about 13 percent of students hail from China. The Chinese government has accused the Dalai Lama, who advocates for greater Tibetan autonomy from China, of being a separatist and sowing discord.

In Boston on Saturday, no protesters were visible, and most greeted the Dalai Lama with smiles and open arms.

What he says rings true. Its the universal truth, said Annette Kramer, 55, a Buddhist from Brimfield. And then if you go deeper into his teachings, it guides you on the spiritual path toward ultimate enlightenment.

Read the original post:

Dalai Lama begins two-day Boston visit with joy and blessings - The Boston Globe