In a common room at a Taipei County hospital last week, dozens of parents lined up with their sick children, most of whom suffer from cancer, to receive a blessing from a young Tibetan monk.
The room at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (長庚紀念醫院) in Linkou filled up as still more people gathered. Some gripped conspicuous red envelopes while waiting patiently in line.
Later, when the group of lamas decided to leave, havoc broke out as some distressed parents claimed their sick children had been overlooked in the blessing ceremony.
Parents of children who had not yet received a blessing began to chase the monks, with some following them all the way to Taipei's Grand Hyatt Hotel where the monks were staying.
The young monk in question was one of the two claimants to be the reincarnated Karmapa -- the religious leader of a Tibetan Buddhist sect named Karma Kagyu -- both of whom visited Taiwan last week.
During the past week, the two masters, who each claim the exclusive right to the title Karmapa and were invited by different Buddhist groups, conducted relief ceremonies for 921 earthquake victims which drew thousands.
"The event marks the speedy development of Tibetan Buddhism in Taiwan," said Chiang Tsan-teng (|螃樾?, a lecturer of religious studies at National Tsing-Hua University.
Yet some observers think that the rapidly spreading popularity of Tibetan Buddhism is not necessarily good for Taiwan's religious environment.
As a society steeped in the traditions of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism -- the branch of Buddhism practiced by most Chinese followers, for most of Taiwan's history Tibetan Buddhism has had little social or religious impact.
According to Jigme Rinpoche who visited Taiwan last week, the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism can be traced back 30 years.
But the religion's following began to boom only 10 years ago. "The religion is growing because we have many good lamas," said 17-year-old Thaye Dorje, the Bhutan based claimant to be the Karmapa, on his visit here.
"Many local Buddhists and monks went to Tibet seeking further enlightenment, especially on the question of life and death," said Chen Yu-ting (3砝t廷), director of the Huayu Foundation.
The excitement around Tibetan Buddhism began to heat up with the visit of the Dalai Lama in 1997.
Tibetan Buddhism has a distinct and complete lineage, which is difficult to find in Chinese Buddhism due to the many upheavals throughout history that made preserving documentation of its development impossible, Chen said.
Chen and his father Chen Li-an (3紡i|w), president of the foundation and former president of the Control Yuan, have been trying to popularize Tibetan Buddhism since 1996, the year Chen Li-an lost his independent bid in the presidential election.
Celebrities have helped popularize Tibetan Buddhism in Taiwan, Chiang said.
After the Dalai Lama visited Taiwan, Tibetan Buddhism has been extremely popular, Chiang said.
"The endorsement of politicians and powerful people gave Tibetan Buddhism a great boost. Among the celebrities are Chen Li-an and his family, Huang Chao-song (黃肇松), president of the China Times and Ting Nai-chu (?B?D竺), a well-known actress.
Since the Dalai Lama's visit, many Taiwanese have converted from Mahayana Buddhism to the Tibetan variety, Chiang said.
According to Chiang, in Taipei alone, there are at least 200 Tibetan Buddhism centers in Taiwan.
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