(New York) The Dalai Lama said Saturday that he is recovering well from knee surgery in New York, in a video message released on the occasion of his 89th birthday.e birthday.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, known worldwide for his tireless campaign for greater autonomy for his native Tibet, arrived in the United States in late June for treatment.
“I am now almost 90 years old, and I do not feel unhealthy, except for a slight discomfort in my legs,” he said in a video posted on his website.
“But it’s inevitable, it’s age. So I’m fine, you can rest assured,” added the spiritual leader, who has reduced his trips abroad.
The Dalai Lama has been since the middle of the 20th centurye century a political and spiritual leader for Tibetans, demonized in China, but close to the United States. However, he stepped down as political leader of his people in 2011.
A group of US officials, including former Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, visited him at his home in Dharamsala, in northern India, in late June.
China, which annexed Tibet in 1950, had criticized the visit through its embassy in New Delhi, calling the Dalai Lama a “political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cover of religion.”