‘Tired and Very Restless’ Karmapa Visits Dalai Lama

Still recuperating from a trek across the Himalayas to escape Chinese-ruled Tibet, a teenage Buddhist leader was all smiles Saturday after a visit with the Dalai Lama.

The 17th Karmapa, wearing a dark brown monk’s robe and light orange scarf, grinned as he walked easily from the gate of the Dalai Lama’s house to a yellow car.

The teenager, who arrived unexpectedly at a hotel in this Indian city on Wednesday, had been described by sources close to the Dalai Lama’s administration as exhausted and suffering from blistered feet and scratched hands after his journey. He appeared well during the brief moments journalists saw him Saturday.

His defection and that of five followers, including his 24-year-old sister, a Buddhist nun, cheered Tibetan exiles, embarrassed Beijing and surprised the Indian government. It is the most significant exodus since the Dalai Lama and tens of thousands of Tibetans departed their homeland after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.

The Dalai Lama’s administration-in-exile made its first public comment Saturday about the defection.

“He is 14 years old and he has undertaken a long and difficult journey. He is not talking properly. He is very tired and very restless,” said Kalong Tashi Wangdi, minister of religion and culture in the Dalai Lama’s administration.

Tibetan officials said they will talk with the Karmapa this week to discuss his plans. The only outsider to have met him is a mid-ranking official from India’s Foreign Ministry, officials in the Dalai Lama’s exile government said.