CHICAGO - The Dalai Lama criticized Chinese policies in his Tibetan homeland, calling on rulers in Beijing to grant Tibet something just short of outright independence as a way to foster stability and prosperity.

Making an unscheduled appearance Sunday at a luncheon in between sold-out lectures in Chicago, the 71-year-old exiled spiritual and political leader of Tibet said discontent with Chinese rule runs wide and deep.

"Ninety-five percent of people in Tibet are very unhappy ... there's deep dissatisfaction ... instability and mutual suspicion," the Nobel laureate said, standing before dining tables in his saffron-and-maroon monks robes.

Autonomy within China, he said, would provide a solution.

"Once we get meaningful autonomy ... we will be loyal and there will be more unity and genuine stability," he told the VIPs in attendance, including Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. "We are not seeking (full) independence and separation."

Chinese communist troops occupied Tibet in 1951 and Beijing continues to rule the Himalayan region with a heavy hand. Chinese officials have repeatedly accused the Dalai Lama of trying to divide China by pushing for Tibetan independence.

The Dalai Lama, whose worldly name is Tenzin Gyatso, fled Tibet in 1959 after the Chinese quelled an uprising. He is still widely revered in Tibet, though he is now based in Dharmsala, India, where he heads a government in exile.

He visited Chicago on the last leg of his 12-day U.S. tour, which also included stops in Hawaii, San Francisco, Houston and Madison, Wisconsin.

After his impromptu remarks about China, the Tibetan Buddhist leader addressed more than 10,000 well-wishers crowded into Chicago's Millennium Park. Hundreds of others unable to get tickets stood behind police barriers, straining to hear from a distance.

Members of Chicago's 300-strong Tibetan community were among the attendees.

Standing at one the edge of the crowd at Millennium Park, 54-year-old Sherab Gyatso, who fled the Chinese occupation of Tibet as a child, said the Dalai Lama's visit helped boost Tibetan spirits.

"We're passing through a difficult time," he said. "His words calm us down as he tells us to be compassionate. It makes life less stressful and hopeful for our future."

The crowd, however, was made up mostly of admiring nonbelievers.

"(The Dalai Lama) stands for peace, tranquility and everything you'd want the world to be," said Jennifer Slewoski, 34, who said she was not a Buddhist. "He doesn't box you in to believe what he believes."

At the outdoor gathering, the Dalai Lama focused on man's pursuit of a happy life, telling those present that "inner peace is more important than physical comfort" and that "constant anger is bad for your health."

At another public speech in Chicago's Harris Theater earlier in the day, the Dalai Lama — sitting on a ten-foot high gold and red throne, flanked on either side by a dozen monks — spoke of tolerance, forgiveness and other universal virtues.

He also discussed the human desire for wealth, interspersing his comments with frequent laughter and jokes.

"All people want more — the moon, ultimately maybe Mars," he said with what has become a trademark giggle. "I think the sun's not a problem. Too hot."

The Dalai Lama was scheduled to leave Chicago on Monday, heading to Australia.