I saw the Dalai Lama at Stanford Friday (11/04) and I noticed that he
has a red bag with him.  It looks sort of like a cloth sling purse.  The
question: what does an enlightened being like him keep in his bag? 
This is a serious question.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 06 Nov 2005 14:45 PST

Does the bag resemble this one? (The beads are not a part of the bag)

http://cgi.ebay.com/RED-VELVETEEN-DRAWSTRING-MALA-POUCH-BAG-LARGE_W0QQitemZ6198340038QQcategoryZ13766QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 06 Nov 2005 14:57 PST

Aha. I found this in an article about the Dalai Lama:

"At the end of his talk, he elicits questions. From all over the
premises, hastily scribbled notes find their way to his secretary.
Attentively, he gives each one a serious and considered response,
regardless of how often it must have been posed before. We hear his
thoughts on Tibet's struggle for autonomy, on vegetarianism and
non-violence, and on giving money to beggars. The question that
perhaps reveals the most is when he is asked what he keeps in his red
monk's bag.

Immediately, he opened it and began pulling out objects for all to
see. A chocolate bar, a case for his glasses, a toothbrush, Kleenex
tissues, and then after a pause -- a single candy which, to great
applause, he promptly unwrapped and popped into his mouth. Then, a
moment later, he plucked out another candy and gave it to the young
Czech woman doing the translating."

http://www.tibet.com/NewsRoom/dlprague1.htm

Please let me know if this is a fully satisfactory answer to your question.

---

Clarification of Question by dharmabum-ga on 06 Nov 2005 15:16 PST

I think your comment answers my question!  Thank you.

I'm glad to have been able to find information about the contents of
the Dalai Lama's purse. At first I had thought you might be referring
to the red mala bag in which many Buddhists carry their prayer beads.
The Dalai Lama is said to prefer beads made of tiger's eye gemstones.
Then I came across an article which told of an interview in which the
Dalai Lama revealed the contents of his red monk's bag:

"At the end of his talk, he elicits questions. From all over the
premises, hastily scribbled notes find their way to his secretary.
Attentively, he gives each one a serious and considered response,
regardless of how often it must have been posed before. We hear his
thoughts on Tibet's struggle for autonomy, on vegetarianism and
non-violence, and on giving money to beggars. The question that
perhaps reveals the most is when he is asked what he keeps in his red
monk's bag.

Immediately, he opened it and began pulling out objects for all to
see. A chocolate bar, a case for his glasses, a toothbrush, Kleenex
tissues, and then after a pause -- a single candy which, to great
applause, he promptly unwrapped and popped into his mouth. Then, a
moment later, he plucked out another candy and gave it to the young
Czech woman doing the translating."

The Government of Tibet in Exile: The Dalai Lama is not a rock star, he is oxygen
http://www.tibet.com/NewsRoom/dlprague1.htm

Here's a bit more detail, including the brand of toothpaste and the
color of the toothbrush that the Dalai Lama carries in his monk's bag:

"Another confidante, Victor Chan, whose extraordinary detailed
guidebook to Tibet is a mini-encyclopedia of the country, has known
the Dalai Lama personally for about 30 years. Chan is an Asia scholar
at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

'He almost always brushes his teeth after a meal,' Chan recalled. 'On
one occasion, the president and faculty of Tromso University in Norway
have given a formal lunch in his honor. After the meal, the Dalai Lama
fished a scarlet-red toothbrush and a small tube of Colgate from his
monk's bag and held them high for his hosts to admire, like a
fisherman brandishing some prized catch. Still holding the implements
aloft, he made his way to the washroom, much to the delight of the
60-odd guests."

World Tibet Network News: Dalai Lama to share from his remarkable life  
http://www.tibet.ca/en/wtnarchive/2004/9/18_8.html

This is the Google search string that led me to the answer:

Google Web Search: "dalai lama" "in his red"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22dalai+lama%22+%22in+his+red

Thanks for a most enjoyable research project. Somehow it is both
amusing and comforting to know that one of the world's great spiritual
leaders carries a toothbrush (and candy!) around with him.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

Nice answer and I like some additional information such as the Dalai
Lama's insistence on brushing his teeth after every mean :-)

I happened to come across another interesting purse-related question:

What does Queen Elizabeth carry in that purse? 
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_318.html