The Dalai Lama entered the Mayo Clinic in the American state of Minnesota earlier this week. The Buddhist spiritual leader from Tibet is 80-years-old and checked-in to the hospital for a medical exam Sunday.
The Dalai Lama has received medical care at the Mayo Clinic before. The clinic said last week that he was having his yearly examination, but released no other details.
The Buddhist leader’s office published a statement on its website Friday. It said the Dalai Lama canceled appearances he planned for next month. His doctors said he should rest for the next several weeks. The statement did not give further information about the condition of the Dalai Lama.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused by this decision and apologize to all the people who have worked so hard in organizing the visit, as well as to the public,” his office said.
The Dalai Lama planned to visit Salt Lake City, Utah, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Last week, the Dalai Lama spoke to the British Broadcasting Corporation about the future. He talked about the kind of person he would like as his replacement.
He told the BBC he would accept a female as the Dalai Lama, but only if she is good-looking. He said: “The face must be very, very attractive. Otherwise, not much use.”
The BBC asked the Dalai Lama if he was serious when he said a woman must be attractive if she is to be named the Dalai Lama. The religious leader seemed to say he was. He later made a joke about his own looks.
I’m Bob Doughty.
This report was based on information from VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
clinic – n. a medical center
inconvenience – n. something that causes trouble or problems
attractive – adj. having a pleasing appearance
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