Published by World Tibet Network News - Sunday, March 23, 1997

TA SHU, Taiwan, March 22 (AFP) - Thousands of monks, nuns and disciples welcomed the Dalai Lama Saturday at an emotional gathering at one of Taiwan's leading Buddhist centres.

A 3,000-strong crowd broke into spontaneous applause as the Tibetan spiritual leader appeared at the Fukuangsang temple in Ta Shu village in southern Kaohsiung county, TVBS television said.

Traditional huge Buddhist drums were beaten and huge resonant bells sounded out as he made his way through the thronging crowd to the temple, founded in 1967 and one of the two main centres of Buddhism on the island.

The excited crowd pressed around him waving yellow flags provided by the temple and at one point the Dalai Lama was stopped in his tracks before the mass of people all bowing and stretching out their hands.

A bodyguard moved in to clear a path, and the good-natured crowd easily made way to let the god-king pass.

But inside the mood turned solemn, as the Buddhist leader sat down on beautiful, woven rugs to lead a haunting prayer for world peace and well-being joined by 200 chanting monks and nuns in traditional robes.

As the prayer ended however, the Dalai Lama's irrepressible smile once more lit up his face and he walked out into a grey Taiwan day to visit an exhibition.

The temple, one of the two main centres of Buddhism on the island, was his first port of call on his landmark visit to Taiwan which has provoked sharp protests from Beijing.

He had been invited to visit the temple by its founder Master Shing-yuan, one of the most popular Buddhist masters, said to have several million followers both on the island and abroad.

The Dalai Lama said the aim of his six-day visit to the island was to promote "human values and harmony between the religions."

The Tibetan leader met with Hsin Ting, who has taken over as the temple's administrator. Shing-yuan is currently travelling after meeting earlier this month with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

China-born Shing-yuan fled here from the mainland five decades ago during the civil war between the communist and nationalist forces and founded the temple in 1967.

He was recently inducted as a member of Taiwan's Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission in Premier Lien Chan's cabinet.

Fukuangshan Temple has sister temples and branches in some 100 countries including the Hsi Lai Temple in Los Angeles where former Chinese communist party central committee member Xu Jiatun took shelter after defecting to the west.

After the visit he headed back to the Howard Plaza Hotel in Kaohsiung where he was to spend the night, and which had become the focus for well-wishers as well as protestors.

Hordes of people had gathered from earlier in the day. Some literally jumped for joy when the Dalai Lama shook their hands, while the Taiwan Independence Party had brought him gifts of flowers.