DALAI LAMA: Encouraging a Compassionate World

THE DALAI LAMA: Yes. There’s no question. Now, some doctors, physicians also used to say opposite, constant anger, fear eating our immune system. So the other hand, more compassionate mind, you see, very good for sustaining our health. So I think sometimes I sort of jokingly tell people whether, you see, peaceful mind really helpful for health. Judge by my face.

LARRY KING: Look at that face. All right. What do you, do you eat three meals a day? Do you eat meat? Do you– what– do you eat healthy?

THE DALAI LAMA: As a Buddhist monk, you see, no dinner.

LARRY KING: No dinner?

THE DALAI LAMA: No dinner. There’s all Buddhist sort of monks…

LARRY KING: So what do you have? Breakfast? What do you have for breakfast?

THE DALAI LAMA: Breakfast, some fruit and some cereal. And then unique Tibetan sort of food. The roasted barley make powder we call Zama, that I am always taking that as a Tibetan, as a part of preservation of our culture. (LAUGH)

LARRY KING: What about lunch?

THE DALAI LAMA: I do that. Some toast like that. Then lunch… actually 1950, no, 1965 I decide I non-vegetarian food. I think my ages 16, 17, all Tibetan government festival usually used to serve a lot of meat. That I stop. And so vegetarian food. Then after I reach India, I myself try. Then, you see, after 20 months, you see some problem, called jaundice or gallbladder problem. So whole of my body and my eye, nail, become yellow.

LARRY KING: Yeah, I know.

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THE DALAI LAMA: So later, I described at that time I truly become living Buddha. Yellow. Then after 20 month, you see, some problems start. Then I return my original diet. But you see twice a week if meat available. Like that.

LARRY KING: No dinner? Okay. Do you meditate every day?

THE DALAI LAMA: Oh yes. Of course. About five hours.

LARRY KING: Five hours? When you are meditating, do you think of things? Do you turn your mind off? What happens when you meditate?