His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, has expressed remorse after a video surfaced showing him kissing a child on the lips and then requesting the child to “suck his tongue” during an event in northern India.
After the video went viral on social media, the spiritual leader was criticised by people disturbed by the paedophilic comment that has raised plenty of eyebrows.
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In a statement made on Monday, the office of the Dalai Lama said: “His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused,” adding he “regrets” the incident.
“His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras,” the statement said.
The Dalai Lama’s apology was prompted by the circulation of a video on social media depicting an encounter that occurred during an event in the hillside city of Dharamshala in February. The video, which shows a young boy asking the Nobel Peace Prize winner for a hug, went viral on social media, with numerous users criticising the Dalai Lama’s conduct.
In the video, the 87-year-old spiritual leader gestures towards his cheek and instructs the boy to hug and kiss him there.
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The Dalai Lama gestures towards his lips and remarks, “Then I think finally here also,” before pulling the young boy’s chin towards him and kissing him on the mouth.
“And suck my tongue,” he says after a few seconds, poking his tongue out.
The boy’s identity is unknown and remains anonymous. He was attending an event hosted by the M3M Foundation, the charity arm of the Indian real estate firm M3M Group, which is based in Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile.
There are differing opinions about the Dalai Lama’s actions, with some of his supporters arguing that the criticism is unwarranted and based on a Western interpretation of the event. They suggest that the leader’s behaviour may have been misunderstood or misinterpreted by those unfamiliar with the cultural context.
In addition, there are others who are critical of the Dalai Lama’s actions and believe that they were inappropriate, regardless of cultural differences.
Twitter user Joost Broekers wrote, “So the Dalai Lama is kissing an Indian boy at a Buddhist event and even tries to touch his tongue. He actually says ‘suck my tongue’. Now why would he do that?”
Although the Dalai Lama is widely recognized as a man of peace, his recent behaviour has sparked significant controversy, with some individuals denouncing him as “disgusting,” “outrageous,” and “creepy.” As the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, his actions have drawn widespread criticism.
Over the years, the Dalai Lama has been involved in a number of situations, including issues over his leadership and political activity. Another controversy arose from his remarks about the potential of a female successor to his position, which was interpreted as sexist by some. He later apologised for his remarks and clarified his stance on the topic.
