Dalai Lama Really Does Post to Twitter

Photo by Liz Dzuro

Click here for a slideshow of photos from the Dalai Lama's appearance at FAU.

​The 14th Dalai Lama, the highest holy man in Tibetan Buddhism, now has a Twitter account with 109,049 followers after 13 tweets.

With about 8,388 followers per tweet, the Dalai Lama seems to be in touch with how 21st-century technology can spread his message. Which, according to his speech today at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, is how compassion could create world peace.

But the Dalai Lama also showed his humorous side, starting the lecture by strolling onto the FAU stage, sitting in an armchair, crossing his legs, and declaring: "I'm
comfortable."

Then he cracked a joke about the substantial lighting in the arena. "All this light for me is much better. I can see the audience's faces," he said. "Sometimes it's so dark, it seems like I'm talking to nobody, like maybe I'm talking to a ghost."

He wasn't hesitant to make fun of himself too and the "fear or doubt" people feel when he smiles at them. He also wasn't afraid to blatantly ignore a question asked in the ending Q&A session, dismissing one as something he had already asked. Lastly, come to find out, the 74-year-old has a legit Twitter account.

His lecture at Nova Southeastern University yesterday was reportedly a little less, well, compassionate.

"He avoided several questions altogether [at NSU]. But I would agree he was very in-touch," said Suzy Meyer, an NSU graduate student.