In an effort to rest after recovering from his recent illness, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has cancelled his upcoming scheduled visit to North America in April 2002.
The cities that Dalai Lama was scheduled to travel to on his April 12-30 visit included: Bloomington, IN; New York, NY; Boston, MA; and Ottawa, Canada. He was expected to promote messages of compassion, tolerance, peace, and universal responsibility at a series of events including lectures, a Buddhist teaching, and an interfaith service on the promotion of human values.
According to the Office of Tibet in New York, the official representative office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile to the Americas, the Dalai Lama was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, India, on January 27, where he was diagnosed with an intestinal infection that doctors believe he may have obtained from a food or water-borne amoeba.
He was released from the hospital on February 2 upon receiving a clean bill of health from his doctors, who stated that his recovery was fast and complete.
The Office of Tibet said that the Dalai Lama returned to his home in Dharamsala on February 10 at which time he began a scheduled retreat.
In an effort to observe a planned rest period of three months, visits to Europe in March and North America and April have been cancelled.
The Office of Tibet said that the recent strain on the Dalai Lama’s health was largely due to exhaustion from prolonged tours, teachings, and other engagements which led to insufficient time for rest.