The Dalai Lama Sparks a Fever for Tibetan Buddhism

This article was written by Anna Wang and Marlene Chen, translated by Brent Heinrich, and published by Taiwan's Sinorama magazine in April 1997.

On March 22, 1997, the Dalai Lama, Nobel-prize-winning spiritual and political leader of Tibet, began a five-day series of lectures and interviews of a religious nature in Taiwan. In addition, he met with then ROC President Lee Teng-hui. The Buddhist community put immense effort into his reception, and the Dalai Lama's particularly sensitive status sparked a debate in political circles over the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty. The nature of his meeting with President Lee even attracted international notice. Nevertheless, most of his admirers were simply happy to see the Dalai Lama come to Taiwan and only hoped to glimpse the dignified deportment of this crusader for human rights who has experienced a wealth of hardship.