NEW DELHI (AP) — The Dalai Lama says he feels "normal, almost normal" after leaving a New Delhi hospital where he was treated for a chest infection.

The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader spoke after he was discharged on Friday. He had been hospitalized on Tuesday after leaving Dharmsala to consult with doctors in the capital.

He is likely to return this week to the north Indian hill town that has been his headquarters since he fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The Dalai Lama usually spends several months a year traveling the world to teach Buddhism and highlight the Tibetans' struggle for greater freedom in China. But he has cut down on travel in the past year as he has to take care of his health.

China doesn't recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile and hasn't held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010. Beijing accuses him of seeking to separate Tibet from China.

The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he merely advocates for substantial autonomy and protection of the region's native Buddhist culture.