Long Island

Dalai Lama appears at UBS Arena for prayer service after 6-week surgery recovery in NY

NBC Universal, Inc.

The Dalai Lama is heading home -- after one more stop in New York.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama spent the last six weeks at a farmhouse in Syracuse following successful knee replacement surgery on June 28.

Representatives say the 89-year-old spiritual leader of Tibet got exceptional care and worked intensively with his physiotherapists to ensure a smooth recovery. He is expected to continue improving over the next year.

Ahead of his departure, members of the Tibetan Community of North America are offering a long-life prayer for him at the UBS Arena on Long Island. The Long Island Rail Road is adding extra stops to accommodate the public.

Between 6:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., 21 LIRR trains that travel along the Main Line were adding stops at Elmont -UBS Arena and/or Woodside:

  • 9 eastbound trains add a stop at Elmont-UBS Arena
  • 5 westbound trains add a stop at Elmont-UBS Arena
  • 1 eastbound train add a stop at Woodside
  • 2 eastbound trains add a stop at both Woodside and Elmont-UBS Arena
  • 4 westbound trains add a stop at both Woodside and Elmont-UBS Arena

Most Hempstead Branch morning trains, both eastbound and westbound, already have a scheduled stop at Elmont-UBS Arena.

The Tibetan community in Zurich, Switzerland, will offer one more long-life prayer for the Dalai Lama during a brief stopover at the Hallenstadion on Sunday. His Holiness is expected to return to Dharamsala, India, later next week.

Contact Us