From The Washington Post:
In the cool of early morning, with heavy clouds still brooding over the surrounding peaks, thousands of pilgrims circled around Jokhang Temple, some spinning prayer wheels and others leading fluffy little dogs. Their silent procession was a vivid display of the deep-seated devotion to Lama Buddhism that persists in Tibet nearly 56 years after the imposition of communist rule in China.
The solemn circumambulation — wrinkled peasants parading slowly alongside fresh-faced monks in maroon robes — has been a fixture of life in central Lhasa for uncounted years. But the spectacle held special meaning last Thursday morning: It was the 71st birthday of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan religious and temporal leader who still holds the hearts of many of Tibet’s 2.7 million people. [Full Text]
See CDT’s coverage on Tibet and Dalai Lama