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I missed this, says Dalai, pointing to groin: The Asian Age
London, July 29: The Dalai Lama has admitted that, in a lifetime dedicated to celibacy and non-violence, he has missed out on sex and that he shoots at hawks in anger.
London, July 29: The Dalai Lama has admitted that, in a lifetime dedicated to celibacy and non-violence, he has missed out on sex and that he shoots at hawks in anger.
In a rare interview about experiences he had missed that ordinary people have, he pointed to his groin and laughed, saying: "I obviously missed this." He was not sorry, however: "For monks and nuns, the practice of celibacy is not just a rule. Our target is to try and reduce negative emotions. Sexual desire and attachment are enjoyable, but act as a basis to anger, hatred and jealousy."
And he was not convinced that he would have made a good father, admitting to having a bad temper, like his father before him.
That temper led him to aim his air rifle at hawks, he told Reader’s Digest. "I feed birds, peaceful birds. I’m non-violent, but if a hawk comes when I’m feeding birds, I lose my temper and get my air rifle."
He said that he did not shoot to kill, but only to scare the hawks.
Speaking at his monastery in Dharamsala, where he has lived in exile since the Chinese put down a Tibetan uprising against Communist rule, he also admitted to having enjoyed spending time with Chairman Mao.
"At official dinners he made me sit beside him and treated me like his son, sometimes feeding me with his own chopsticks. I was afraid that since he coughed so much I would catch something. He was no doubt a great revolutionary. But at the same time, his behaviour was often that of a peasant."
He said that there was a softening towards Tibet by the current regime. "Last year, our representatives went to China and the meeting was quite positive. Previously, the Chinese lectured harshly, but this time they expressed themselves more gently. China is changing. The Communist authoritarian system sooner or later will also have to change," the Dalai Lama said.
In a rare interview about experiences he had missed that ordinary people have, he pointed to his groin and laughed, saying: "I obviously missed this." He was not sorry, however: "For monks and nuns, the practice of celibacy is not just a rule. Our target is to try and reduce negative emotions. Sexual desire and attachment are enjoyable, but act as a basis to anger, hatred and jealousy."
And he was not convinced that he would have made a good father, admitting to having a bad temper, like his father before him.
That temper led him to aim his air rifle at hawks, he told Reader’s Digest. "I feed birds, peaceful birds. I’m non-violent, but if a hawk comes when I’m feeding birds, I lose my temper and get my air rifle."
He said that he did not shoot to kill, but only to scare the hawks.
Speaking at his monastery in Dharamsala, where he has lived in exile since the Chinese put down a Tibetan uprising against Communist rule, he also admitted to having enjoyed spending time with Chairman Mao.
"At official dinners he made me sit beside him and treated me like his son, sometimes feeding me with his own chopsticks. I was afraid that since he coughed so much I would catch something. He was no doubt a great revolutionary. But at the same time, his behaviour was often that of a peasant."
He said that there was a softening towards Tibet by the current regime. "Last year, our representatives went to China and the meeting was quite positive. Previously, the Chinese lectured harshly, but this time they expressed themselves more gently. China is changing. The Communist authoritarian system sooner or later will also have to change," the Dalai Lama said.