The Dalai Lama’s visit to typhoon-ravaged areas of southern Taiwan has been met with scattered protests but for the most part has been warmly received. He was invited by local leaders, but unlike on previous visits, he will not be meeting with the national leadership. “My goal [in Taiwan] is to seek blessing and ward off misfortune for the typhoon victims,” the Dalai Lama said, but a “small but vocal” minority in Taiwan considers his visit a distraction or worse. China has issued the now-familiar combination of diplomatic protests and threats of economic repercussions. But Buddhism is the largest religion in Taiwan, and “the vast majority” of Taiwanese did not come to see the Dalai Lama in order to protest. More than 10,000 came to see the Tibetan leader in the southern city of Kaohsiung, in the path of the typhoon that killed more than 500 people.

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