Dalai Lama Speaks on Gay Sex / He says it's wrong for Buddhists but not for society

As he prepares to meet today with gay Buddhist leaders, the Dalai Lama has clarified his position on the morality of homosexuality for Buddhists and non-Buddhists.

"We have to make a distinction between believers and unbelievers," the exiled Tibetan leader said at a press conference yesterday in San Francisco. "From a Buddhist point of view, men-to-men and women-to-women is generally considered sexual misconduct.

"From society's viewpoint, mutually agreeable homosexual relations can be of mutual benefit, enjoyable and harmless."

His comments were an effort to clarify statements in a book -- "Beyond Dogma," published last year by North Atlantic Books in Berkeley -- that upset some gay Buddhists.

The Dalai Lama said the same Buddhist scripture that advises against gay and lesbian sex also urges heterosexuals to refrain from oral sex, anal sex and masturbation. "Even with your own wife, using one's mouth or the other hole is sexual misconduct," he said. "Using one's hand, that is sexual misconduct."

Steve Peskind, one of the gay Buddhists meeting with the Dalai Lama today, was disappointed with yesterday's remarks.

"We will be talking to him about the impact of these statements on homophobic violence," Peskind said. "What is proper sexual conduct for gay Buddhists, and who's going to teach us?"

The Tibetan leader noted that those same traditional texts that oppose oral and anal sex approve of vaginal sex with a prostitute.

Some Buddhists at yesterday's press conference said the Dalai Lama was hinting that those traditional Buddhist scriptures may need to be re-examined in a modern social context.

Despite his worldwide appeal and popularity, the Dalai Lama is not a "Buddhist pope" and does not have the authority to unilaterally change Buddhist teaching.

"When it comes to interpreting scripture, I can't undertake that on my own," he said. "We would need to have consultation with other Buddhist traditions."

The Dalai Lama was also asked to explain recent statements urging his followers to refrain from using a "protector deity," Dorje Shugden, in their meditation and devotional practices.

Devotees of that deity, a kind of Buddhist guardian angel, have accused the Dalai Lama of religious intolerance. The dispute is also thought to be connected to the slaying of three monks this year at the Dalai Lama's monastic palace in Dharmsala, India.

"Some people have made the worship of this spirit a dominant part of their religious life," the Dalai Lama said. "The Tibetan Buddhist tradition is very profound. We don't want to see it degenerate into spirit worship."