Elixir of youth: Dalai Lama to keep secret of his beautiful skin to himself

GUWAHATI: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama today said that he liked to keep the secret of his "beautiful skin" to himself.

On occasions, "people said to me that in spite of my old age, which is over 80, I look like 70 and ask (me) what is the secret. I say, that is my secret and I will not tell you," Dalai Lama said in jest, making the audience burst into peels of laughter.

"But the most important is peace of mind. Internal beauty is more important than external beauty," he said.

Dalai Lama was delivering a lecture on 'Ancient Indian Knowledge in Modern Times', when a question on the secret of his "beautiful skin" was put to him by the anchor woman "on behalf of all the ladies present" in the packed Gauhati University auditorium here.

The Nobel Peace prize winner said that women should take more pro-active role in social life.

"Women should take more active role for human compassion. My first teacher was my mother, not anyone else. Females are biologically more stronger," he added.