Even though Dalai Lama is taken a vow of celibacy, the Dalai Lama said he still feels temptation when he sees women.
In a round table discussion about religion and freedom in which Dalai Lama and I were participating, at recess I maliciously, and also with interest asked him:
"Your holiness, what is the best religion?"
I thought he would say: "The Tibetan Buddhism" or "The oriental religions, much older than Christianity"
Dalai Lama paused, smiled and looked me in the eyes… which surprised me because I knew of the malice contained in my question.
達賴喇嘛和我參與一個有關宗教和自由的研討會。 在會中休息的時間，我帶著興味故意問了他一個問題：
「請問哪一個宗教最好?」
我想他會說：「西藏佛教或者是東方宗教最好 因為它們比起基督教信仰要更古老久遠.」
達賴喇嘛停頓了一會，微微一笑，注視著我…那神情令我感到訝異，因為我明知這是故意為難他的提問。
He answered: "the best religion is the one that gets you closest to God. It is the one that makes you a better person."
他答說：「那個能領你最接近天主、能幫助你成為更好的人，是最好的宗教。」
To get out of my embarrassment with such a wise answer, I asked: "What is it that makes me better?"
He responded: "Whatever makes you more compassionate, more sensible, more detached, more loving, more humanitarian, more responsible, and more ethical."
"The religion that will do that for you is the best religion"
聽到如此有智慧的回答，為了掩飾我的窘困，我再問：「能幫助我變得更好的是什麼呢?」
他回答說：
「是那些能使你更悲憫、更敏於事理、更不執著、更有愛心、更有人性、更負責任、更懂倫常關係的事。
「而那能在這些事上幫助你的宗教就是最好的宗教。」
I was silent for a moment, marveling and even today thinking of his wise and irrefutable response:
"I am not interested, my friend, about your religion or if you are religious or not.
What really is important to me is your behavior in front of your peers, family, work, community, and in front of the world."
我沉默了一會，驚異於他說的話。即使是今天，我仍思考這智慧而無可辯駁的回答：
「親愛的朋友，我對你的宗教並沒有興趣，甚或你是不是虔誠篤信也不是我關心的重點。那對我而言重要的事是你在同儕、家人、工作的地方、社區、甚至是在全世界的面前，你的所行所為。」
"Remember, the universe is the echo of our actions and our thoughts."
"The law of action and reaction is not exclusively for physics. It is also of human relations. If I act with goodness, I will receive goodness. If I act with evil, I will get evil."
「要記得，整個宇宙反映了我們的行動和思維。」
「動作和反應的定律並不專限於物理的範疇內。對人際關係而言，亦是如此。如果我以善意來行動，我將得到善意的回報。如果我以惡意出發，我將回收惡果。」
"What our grandparents told us is the pure truth. You will always have what you desire for others. Being happy is not a matter of destiny. It is a matter of options."
「那些我們祖父母輩的人所教導的，是多麼真確啊！你怎麼待人，別人也將怎麼待你。快快樂樂的並不是天生注定的，那是一種選擇。」
Finally he said: "Take care of your Thoughts because they will become Words. Take care of your words because they will become Actions. Take care of your Actions because they will become Habits. Take care of your Habits because they will form your Character. Take care of your Character because it will form your Destiny, and your Destiny will be your Life… and …
末了他說：「
注意你的思維，因為它們要變為話語。
注意你的話語，因為它們要變為行動。
注意你的行動，因為它們要變為習慣。
注意你的習慣，因為它們要形成你的特質。
注意你的特質，因為它們要形成你的命運。
而你的命運將決定你的人生…
並且… 」
"There is no religion higher than the Truth."
「沒有一個宗教大過真理。」