Female Dalai Lama could be a possibility

GlobalPost

Tibetan Buddhism's supreme leader, the Dalai Lama, has that he believes a female Dalai Lama was entirely possible, although all previous holders of the title have been male. 

"If the circumstances are such that a female Dalai Lama is more useful, then automatically a female Dalai Lama will come," he said in a press conference in Sydney, Australia, on Thursday, adding that the world is currently undergoing a "moral crisis" which will require more compassionate leaders. 

"In that respect, biologically, females have more potential," the Dalai Lama said. "Females have more sensitivity about others' well-being."

More from GlobalPost: Julia Gillard blasts menu at opposition fundraiser as "offensive" 

He reflected on his own family to make his point, noting that "in my own case, my father, very short temper. On a few occasions I also got some beatings. But my mother was so wonderfully compassionate." 

The comments came amid controversy in Australia over a botched joke regarding Prime Minister Julia Gillard, where opposition leaders released a fake menu at a fundraiser that used obscene references to the female anatomy. 

This isn't the first time the Buddhist leader has expressed his support for the notion of a female Dalai Lama. In 2007, he made very similar comments in a Telegraph piece, noting: "If a woman reveals herself as more useful the Lama could very well be reincarnated in this form." 

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