His Holiness the Dalai Lama during the long life puja offered at Drepung Monastery, Mundgod, India, December 24, 2026. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL; courtesy of dalailama.com.

On Christmas Eve 2025, a long-life puja was offered to His Holiness at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, India, this year’s host of the Annual Winter Debate. Several thousand (mostly monks) attended this event. Cynthia Karena of Tara Institute (TI), Melbourne, was in attendance with Resident Teacher Geshe Doga and others from TI, and shared details and reflections from those there:

It was only for a day’s event, a long life puja, but there was no hesitation to do the long eight-hour drive – on Indian roads – to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We five students from Tara Institute in Melbourne were staying at Sera Je monastery in South India with our dear teacher Venerable Geshe Doga.

On Christmas Eve 2025, we attended the long life puja offered to His Holiness by Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, India, along with several thousand others (mostly monks ) seated in the courtyard.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama waving to monastics gathered for the long life puja for His Holiness at Drepung Monastery, Mundgod, India, December 24, 2026. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL; courtesy of dalailama.com.

We stayed a few days, and on the day before the puja we were lucky enough to receive a personal blessing from His Holiness, along with around 300 others, including Mongolians, Chinese and people from various Russian republics. We were assigned a group number for the five of us and after a security check we went into a waiting area. We each had an all too brief moment with him, but it affected us greatly.

“The Tibetan official called for the Aussies to join the line up to see His Holiness. This seemed to amuse him greatly,” says Damien Busby, a former director of Tara Institute. “We were all shuffled past His Holiness quite quickly, but still to gaze up into His Holiness’s face and for him to put his hand on my hands and to touch my head was a moment of real contact. The immediate feeling was just joy.” 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama blessing Tara Institute resident teacher Geshe Doga at Drepung Monastery, December 24, 2025. Photo is a still shot of a clip from video taken by the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

“There was a lot of excitement and anticipation before the blessing, so I was a little nervous,” says Mary-Lou Considine, a long time member of Tara Institute’s Publishing Group (which publishes books and weekly teachings). “As the queue advanced, I followed the organizers’ instruction to look up and move on quickly. When I looked up, His Holiness was right there in front of me – it was like a dream. And then it was over. Looking at our photos later, everyone looked radiant. I felt blessed and very grateful that my connection with Geshe Doga and Tara Institute had brought me to that moment.”

The next day was the long life puja. As His Holiness arrived in the golf cart horns played and monks chanted the Migtsema (Praise to Je Tsongkhapa). “So many thousands of Tibetans squeezed into the large courtyard outside the gompa – many families had obviously arrived early, sitting patiently on cold paving stones, picnic blankets and camping chairs,” says Mary-Lou..

The crowd watching His Holiness the Dalai Lama leave Drepung Monastery following the long life puja, December 24, 2026. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL; courtesy of dalailama.com

Even though most of the group were seated toward the rear, the energy was palpable.

“All the colos, sights and sounds of the long life puja for His Holiness immediately transported my mind to a different way of thinking,” says Jenny Molloy, long time Geshe Care organizer and Dharma Club for children teacher. “The lingering impression for me was at the end of proceedings when His Holiness was leaving the temple and the prayers were finished. From behind me in the crowd, the Tibetans started their prayers to His Holiness. In repetition of the prayer, their song grew in strength. The wave of sound continued on and the sound of devotion rose in my heart.”

At the end of the puja as the crowd left, I spotted the Nechung oracle, and His Eminence Ling Rinpoche with His Holinesses’ sister. As he left, His Holiness smiled and waved at the hundreds of people who lined the road. We were also lucky enough to have an audience with H.E. Ling Rinpoche, who spent some time chatting with Geshe Doga.

Geshe Doga with students from Tara Institute and monks from Sera Je Monastery with His Eminence Ling Rinpoche. Cynthia Karena

So the single event turned into three wonderful events – personal blessings from His Holiness, his long life puja, and spending time with H.E. Ling Rinpoche. We seemed to fly the eight-hour drive back to Sera.

Please read about His Holiness attending the Winter Jang Debate held at Drepung Monastery in January. 

With grateful thanks to Cynthia Karena for providing this story. We welcome the submission of news stories from those within the FPMT community. This can be a story about something you have personally completed or accomplished, about someone else who has done so, or about the FPMT center, project, or service of which you are a part. Ideal submissions will give readers reasons to rejoice, share ideas, and create connections between those in the international community. Have something to share? Please let us know!

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.