Dalai Lama has launched a new iPhone app so devotees can keep track of his travels and teachings.
He
has millions of Twitter followers and has spoken of the wonders of new
technology. The 82-year-old Buddhist monk announced the new app, which
will allow users to watch live video of his teachings, to his 16.6
million Twitter followers on Thursday.
It promises
official news, videos and photos from the office of the Tibetan
spiritual leader. However it does not appear on Apple's China app store,
meaning most Tibetans will not be able to access it.
The
technology giant has previously blocked iPhone applications related to
the Dalai Lama and other exiles from its China store. The Buddhist
leader has embraced modern technologies in the past, although it is not
known whether he himself uses a smartphone.
In 2014 he
said new technologies had made a lot of things easier, but warned
against allowing phones and computers to dictate how we live.
“Without
technology, humanity has no future, but we have to be careful that we
don't become so mechanised that we lose our human feelings,” he said.
