Video: Pelosi, McCaul-Led US Congressional Delegation Meet Dalai Lama, Hold Rituals With Oracle Nechung

Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, top Republican Michael McCaul and other members of the US congressional delegation arrived at the Dalai Lama Temple to meet with the Tibetan spiritual leader on Wednesday.

The bipartisan US delegation, led by Michael McCaul, the Republican Chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, was welcomed by officials of the Central Tibetan Administration at Kangra Airport in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

People familiar with the developments said that the US delegation was taking part in rituals inside the Dalai Lama Temple. The Oracle Nechung also made sermons at ritual.

The Oracle Nechung, also known as the State Oracle of Tibet, is a significant spiritual figure in Tibetan Buddhism. The Nechung Oracle serves as the chief state oracle and advisor to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile.

“It’s very exciting to be here,” Pelosi said, greeted by Tibetan schoolchildren and officials of the government-in-exile. In 2022, Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan strained relations between the US and China.

The oracle’s prophecies and advice have historically influenced significant decisions within the Tibetan government. The current Nechung Oracle, Thupten Ngodup, has served in this role since 1987.

“They are here to experience a different way of culture that Tibetans have…we are going to have the official get-together in the meeting…It sends (the message) that Tibet is not alone. The United States is with Tibet and human rights still matter. This is a message not only for Tibet but anybody who is aspiring for human rights and for freedom,” the deputy speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Dolma Tsering Teykhang, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

“All those who are suffering under the intimidation of China and the expansionist mentality of Xi Jinping, I think this is a very big message for them,” Teykhang further added.

Earlier this week, the US Congress approved a bill urging Beijing to re-engage with the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders to resolve their dispute over Tibet peacefully.

The bill, called the ‘Resolve Tibet Act,’ passed in the US House of Representatives and now awaits President Joe Biden’s signature to become law. McCaul confirmed that President Joe Biden intends to sign the ‘Resolve Tibet Act’, which was passed by Congress last week.

According to a report by Radio Free Asia, the legislation rejects China’s claim that Tibet has always been a part of China and calls on Beijing to stop spreading misinformation about Tibetan history, its people, and institutions, including the Dalai Lama.

The bill also urged China to start discussions with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, and other Tibetan leaders about Tibet’s governance. There have been no formal talks between the two sides since 2010.

The Chinese government, while reacting to the visit, termed the ‘Dalai Group’ as ‘anti-China separatist’. Its foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian while addressing a regular press conference on Tuesday said: “It’s known by all that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a pure religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion”.

“Stop sending the wrong signal to the world. We are gravely concerned over the relevant reports and urge the US side to fully recognize the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai group, honour the commitments the US has made to China on issues related to Xizang, have no contact with the Dalai group in any form, and stop sending the wrong signal to the world,” Jian said, using the China-given name, Xizang, for Tibet.