Durban - It was a double celebration for Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu as he touched down in India to mark the birthday of the Dalai Lama and to collaborate on a book with him this week.
The two spiritual leaders, who are also old friends, shared the news of the book - titled The Book of Joy: Finding Enduring Happiness In an Uncertain World - and of Tutu’s arrival on April 18, via their Facebook accounts.
The pair have already begun working on the publication and sharing their discussions online at the Dalai Lama’s home in Dharamsala, in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh where the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile are based.
Tutu is expected to stay in India for seven days.
Publishers Weekly said in a recent write-up online that the production of the book would feature the two spiritual leaders spending the week sharing their perspectives on the topic of joy.
“In order to share this experience more broadly with the rest of the world, the two leaders will use their Facebook pages to let readers around the globe ask questions about the path to joy and a meaningful life.
“The best questions left on their Facebook pages will be compiled into a list and readers will be able to vote on their favourites.
The winning questions will be answered by the Dalai Lama and the archbishop and then video footage of those discussions will be shared with the world after the meeting.”
To get involved in the conversation, users are invited to use the tags #bookofjoy and #askforjjoy in their posts.
Some of Tutu’s followers on his social media page praised him for visiting the Dalai Lama, alluding to 2011s debacle where the Tibetan leader was denied a visa by the South African government to attend Tutu’s 80th birthday celebrations.
One user commented: “If the Dalai Lama can’t come to South Africa then Desmond Tutu can go to the Dalai Lama. Show them Mkhulu.”
Online publication The Tibetan Review reported that the Dalai Lama praised Tutu as a “genuine, good human being” while expressing happiness over the visit.
Daily News