Gods of Politics; Church And State: The head of Tibet's Buddhist faith, and its government in exile, talks about scandal, desire and the line between spirituality and power.(Dalai Lama)(Interview)

Byline: Melinda Liu and Sudip Mazumdar

At 15 the Dalai Lama--whom followers consider the reincarnated Buddha of compassion--became leader of both the Tibetan government and the Tibetan Buddhist faith. After a Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, he fled to exile in India in 1959 and became a symbol of religious faith, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He spoke recently in Mumbai with NEWSWEEK's Melinda Liu and Sudip Mazumdar about religious and temporal leadership. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Did your spiritual and temporal roles ever clash?

DALAI LAMA: No. If you're a religious leader you're less likely to act in a scandalous or corrupt manner.

You never felt torn between the interests of government versus religion?

Not during my time. During the time of the 10th Dalai Lama [Tsultrim Gyatso, 1816-37], there was a form of corporal punishment involving the amputation of limbs. He largely stopped the practice. However, I feel there is potential conflict, being head of a religious organization as well as head of government. These two institutions should be separate. In 1992 I made clear that when the time comes for our return [to Tibet], I'll hand over all my authority to the local Tibetan, hopefully elected, government. In our organization in exile, we've already had elected political leadership for a few years. Ever since, I've been in semi-retirement. When the time comes I'll fully retire--hopefully with a good reputation [laughs ], and not in disgrace.

What are the biggest pitfalls facing secular and religious leaders?