TORONTO - After a whirlwind trip marked by tight security, throngs of followers and his trademark laugh, the Dalai Lama wrapped up his Canadian visit on Sunday unfazed by the frenzy his appearance generated.

The 14th Dalai Lama, although a frequent visitor to Canada, had thousands waiting in a Toronto downpour at the end of his visit to hear him teach a course called "Long Life Empowerment, Long Life Ceremony and 8 Verses of Training the Mind."

His followers streamed into the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, past metal detectors and throngs of security, as they crammed into the large warehouse. Some even had to pack themselves into an overflow space in a tent outside the building.

"He's our god. He's everything," said Tickey Dolker, 35, a Tibetan-Canadian from Toronto, who stood outside the centre with her family clutching a camera, hoping to catch a glimpse, and a snapshot, of the Dalai Lama as he entered the building.

"He's so compassionate about everything that he does and what he says," she said, gushing about the Buddhist spiritual leader.

Tenzin Palsang, 30, a student, was also outside the centre, which was buzzing with excitement. Palsang called Sunday a "golden opportunity" to be able to receive a blessing from the Dalai Lama.

"We always look up to him and, whatever he tells us to do or not to do, we always blindly follow him because we trust him so much," said Palsang, with a wide grin spread across his face.

Palsang tried to explain the reasons behind the celebrity-status of the famous monk.

"His kindness, his love towards all human beings, whether it's Buddhism or non-Buddhism," he said.

On Friday, the Dalai Lama gave a public talk at the Rogers Centre, where nearly 15,000 of his fans and followers sat in a baseball stadium to watch his holiness sit on a throne-like chair as he delivered a speech on peace.

The jolly 75-year-old chuckled and shared stories as if he were among friends instead of before a crowd of thousands.

He told the captive audience that the world needs to "overcome conflict with dialogue" and called for "human warm heartedness"

Palsang was at the event on Friday and called it "amazing" to see so many people from different backgrounds all in the city to hear the Dalai Lama speak.

"(They gave) him a standing ovation. It gives me some kind of boost to myself as a Tibetan," he said.

On Saturday, the Dalai Lama met with invited media at a Toronto hotel, where he touched on topics from preserving the Tibetan language and culture in China, to the origins of his famous sense of humour.

Incidentally, he said his characteristic giggle can be traced to his genes. The Dalai Lama admitted he comes from a long line of laughing, jovial people.

Later in the day, the Dalai Lama greeted thousands more of his followers at the opening of the Tibetan centre. The building -- an old lighting factory still under construction -- was adorned with colourful fabrics.

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to fly out of Toronto on Monday.

He has visited Canada on several occasions before, most recently last fall when he made stops in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, and he has even been named an honorary Canadian citizen.

The exiled leader fled China as a young man in 1959 after a failed uprising against communist rule and he has lived in India ever since.