Dalai Lama shows rare emotion

In a rare emotional moment yesterday the Dalai Lama, Tibet's visiting leader, broke down and cried during the last session of a three day discussion of Buddhism's core book of scripture, the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra.

When discussing the concept of compassion, the Dalai Lama bowed down in mid-session for nearly two minutes to wipe away his tears, before he resumed his teachings yesterday morning.

"I don't have the Bodicitta [(菩提心), a state of mind that seeks enlightenment for all beings]," he said with his characteristic humility. "But whenever I talk about Bodicitta, at once I feel both joyful and sad."

The Dalai Lama said that Buddhism would not be what it is now without the selfless work of the early Indian adepts of the religion, such as Nagarjuna and Asanga.

Yesterday's talk held his followers in rapt attention, many of them moved to tears by the spiritual leader's talk.

Indeed, the Dalai Lama said yesterday that his teachings are his present for his followers in Taiwan and urged them not to reward him with monetary gifts.

"If you trust me, you don't have to give me red envelopes," he told nearly 10,000 followers which attended his teachings. "I hope you will practice Bodicitta, because it will make you happier."

Asked about the legitimacy of the Falun Gong's teachings, the Dalai Lama said that since he has not studied the teachings in detail, he is in no position to comment. But he expressed his regret over the brutal crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners by the Beijing government.

The Dalai Lama, however, urged his followers to stick to one religion to avoid confusion. He made the statement when asked about allegations by some Falun Gong members that Buddhism is "no longer capable of helping other sentient beings" and reports by some members that the head of Falun Gong, Lee Hongzhi (李洪志), is "wiser" than Buddha.

At the end of the day's teachings on Buddhist philosophy, the Dalai Lama reserved an hour to answer questions from his followers on a wide range of issues.

On the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan by Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban regime, the Dalai Lama said that such behavior is not conducive to his efforts to promote inter-faith harmony.

Last month, the Taliban destroyed the gigantic 2nd century Buddhas carved into the mountains along the famed Silk Road after a state edict was issued which claimed the statues were against the teachings of Islam.

"Since it is a precious historical artifact, it is also not good for their tourism industry," he said.

But the Nobel Peace Laureate urged his followers not to condemn or hate the Taliban for their act.

The Dalai Lama, on the last leg of his teachings on his second trip to Taiwan, will perform a two-day initiation of Avalokiteshvara, or Kuanyin, beginning today.