Dharamsala, Jan 29 (IANS): Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has advised the Chinese to chant a mantra to contain the spread of coronavirus, his office said on Wednesday.

A group of Chinese Buddhists from mainland China has sought the Dalai Lama's advice on ways to contain the spread of coronavirus.

In response, he advised the Chinese followers and Buddhist monasteries across China to chant the Tara mantra as much as possible as it would effectively help contain the spread of epidemics such as coronavirus, a post on the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) website said.

His Holiness has also shared a voice clip of his self chanting the Tara mantra.

Regarding the health crisis in China, CTA's Religion and Culture Minister Karma Gelek Yuthok expressed his condolences for those who had died from the disease while hoping for "the Chinese people and government's ability in controlling it soon".

He cited the "reported link between the large scale-wildlife trade in China and the rise of the epidemic" and "the necessity to study the underlying causes of this health crisis" while wishing the Chinese speedy resolution to the crisis.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in Tibet in 1959. The Tibetan administration-in-exile is based in Dharamsala town in Himachal Pradesh.