The Dalai Lama was hospitalized in India for a respiratory infection

The Dalai Lama was admitted Tuesday to a hospital in New Delhi for a respiratory infection, although his health has already "started to improve," sources close to the Tibetan spiritual leader said.

The Dalai Lama "began to feel some discomfort yesterday and that is why he was taken to a medical examination during which it was decided that he would be hospitalized," said the spokesman. of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Taklha, who explained that doctors He was diagnosed with a lung infection.

"His Holiness he is much better but he is still under treatment at the hospital and we expect him to leave in a few days", added the spokesperson.

The religious leader was transferred Tuesday by plane from his home in the northern city of Dharamsala to a hospital in the country's capital, where he had a "slight cough".

The Dalai Lama was forced to leave the country with thousands of compatriots and seek refuge in northern India.

Since then, he has pursued the struggle for the freedom of his people, although still "systematically opposed to violence", for which reason he has been granted the right Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Although he is still an extremely popular speaker, the Dalai Lama has drastically reduced its international commitmentsand has not met any global leader since 2016. At the same time, several governments have confessed their reluctance to invite it for fear of creating tension with the Chinese government.

The Tibetan religious leader was born on July 6, 1935 in Taktser, eastern Tibet, where, at the age of two, he became the spiritual leader of his people and was recognized as the reincarnation of his predecessor.

The Dalai Lama tried to prevent any attempt by the Chinese government to name his reincarnated successor, to the point of having announced in 2011 that himself could be the last of the lineagewhich has been perpetuated since the 14th century.

Even India – who had offered asylum to the Dalai Lama in 1959 when he escaped from China by the Himalayas disguised as a soldier – turned his back on him, to the point of apparently alerting officials who are not involved in events with him in order to avoid any diplomatic sensitivity. .

(With information from EFE and AFP)