Dalai Lama urges victims of the Sept. 11

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, urged victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina on Sunday to turn their tragedies into something that makes them stronger.

The Dalai Lama's speech came on the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But he also touched on the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. There were some lighthearted moments as well. The Dalai Lama repeatedly poked fun at himself, and at some of the questions he was asked in an informal session following his address.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 following an aborted uprising against Chinese rule in the territory and now keeps an office in exile in the Himalayan town of Dharmsala, India.He came to Idaho at the invitation of wealthy financial consultant and Buddhist Kiril Sokoloff, San Jose Mercury News reports.