Sri Lanka welcomes the Dalai Lama in historic summit

A significant milestone in world Buddhist history occurred as the Chief Prelate of the Atamasthana in Anuradhapura, Most Venerable Dr. Pallegama Hemarathana Thero, met with the 14th Dalai Lama. This meeting marks the first time these two supreme leaders have connected, signaling a new chapter in the centuries-old relationship between Sri Lanka's Theravada Buddhism and the Indo-Tibetan Mahayana traditions.

The presentation of a sacred sapling from the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to the Dalai Lama served as the highlight of the encounter. While the Dalai Lama long desired to personally worship at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura—the world's oldest historically documented tree—various factors delayed that journey; this gift serves as a symbolic fulfillment of that long-held spiritual wish.

Plans are underway to ceremonially plant the sacred sapling within the Buddhist University premises at the Gaden Jangtse monastery complex.