Dalai Lama offers spiritual and cooking advice on Australian "Master Chef"

(CBS) - There are many intimidating judges that one may face on a cooking show (the fiery Gordon Ramsay definitely comes to mind), but none could compare to a recent surprise guest on Monday's Australian edition of "Master Chef": the Dalai Lama!

The contestants and audience were all stunned when none other than the Dalai Lama himself suddenly appeared as a surprise guest judge for the July 18th show.

Luckily for the contestants their karma all stayed intact, as the Lama was very kind in his comments about the dishes. According to Reuters, he opined that, "As a Buddhist monk, it is not right to prefer this food or that food." The harshest critique levied was towards a contestant who served undercooked gnocchi, whom he said "tried their best."  If only everyone could be so forgiving (especially of undercooked gnocchi).