His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Address International Conference on Tibetan History and Culture

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Tibet.net
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New Delhi: Over 40 scholars from the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and Asia are meeting at the University of Delhi, India to explore the scale and magnitude of Tibet's history and culture.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give the valedictory address at the conference on 21 November.

The three-day "International Conference: Exploring Tibet's History and Culture" will be held from 19 to 21 November at the Academic Council Hall of the University’s Vice Regal Lodge. Dr. Kapila Vatsayayan, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) is the chief guest while Prof. Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor of the University will give the welcome address.

The political history and status of Tibet is interpreted in different ways by the Tibetans and Western writers, even the Chinese writers before the fall of Manchu dynasty in 1912 and those of recent Chinese writers after the fall of Manchu dynasty. Hence, the Tibetan studies have become equally important and popular as of other civilizations of the world in the last three decades.

Similarly, Tibetan culture has attracted the interest and attention of many scholars and researchers.  Tibetans maintained unbroken cultural interactions with India since from the 7th century. As a result of which, the Tibetans have produced the largest number of translations of Indian literature. Tibetan Tripitaka, known as Kagyur and Tangyur preserves over five thousand titles translated from Indian languages, mainly from Sanskrit, embracing treatises on grammar, poetry, rhetoric, logic, politics and social ethics, medicine, astrology, chemistry, art and iconography, biographies of saints  and of course, Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy. Most of the above mentioned Indian literatures lost in its original form can be reconstructed from its Tibetan translation.

The conference is jointly organised the University of Delhi and Central University for Tibetan Studies, Varanasi.