Dalai Lama Returning to Mayo for Checkup

DHARAMSALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama is headed to the United States for a medical checkup, although the Tibetan spiritual leader says he has no specific health complaints.

The Dalai Lama told reporters he has been going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for regular health checkups for the past nine years.

In September, the Dalai Lama canceled a series of appearances in the United States on the advice of his U.S. doctors. The 80-year-old was told to rest for several weeks after a medical checkup.

The Tibetan Buddhist leader's health is a matter of concern for his followers across the world, and especially for the hundreds of thousands of Tibetans who live in India.

The Dalai Lama says he is likely to return to Dharmasala, his Indian home, in March.