Dalai Lama Kisses Young Boy On The Lips And Asks Him To 'Suck' His Tongue

Wikipedia

The Dalai Lama has since apologised after an unsettling video appeared on social media in which he kissed a young Indian boy on the lips before asking him to 'suck' his tongue claiming he was only teasing him.

The uncomfortable footage shows the moment the Tibetan spiritual leader invited the young boy on stage during a charity event held by India's M3M Foundation at the Dalai Lama's temple in Dharamshala in February. 

The Video shows the boy asking the Dalai Lama 'can I hug you?', to which Tenzin Gyatso responds, okay - come!'.

Dalai Lama first asks the boy to kiss him on the cheek, before pointing at his lips.

He holds the boy's face as they briefly kiss, then the pair press their foreheads together. 

Dalai Lama

Just as the boy tries to pull away, the Dalai Lama tells him: 'And suck my tongue' - prompting the young boy to slowly inch forward towards the 87-year-old's outstretched tongue. 

People at the event can be heard laughing as the boy awkwardly sits in front of the Tibetan Buddhist leader and nervously follows his orders.

Before letting the child go, the Dalai Lama imparted some wisdom, telling him to

'look to those good human beings who create peace, happiness' and not to 'follow those human beings who always kill other people'.

Dalai Lama

His supporters rushed to his defence claiming that he was only 'Joking around'

The incident has gone viral on social media for all the reasons disturbing and people cannot help but brand Dalai Lama's actions 'scandalous', 'disgusting' and 'absolutely sick'.

Others went as far as to describe the Dalai Lama as an 'insidious false prophet' while one user called for him to 'be arrested for paedophilia'. 

'Utterly shocked to see this display by the #DalaiLama. In the past too, he's had to apologise for his sexist comments. But saying - Now suck my tongue to a small boy is disgusting,' wrote user Sangita.

Another poster, Rakhi Tripathi, said: 'What did I just see? What that child must be feeling? Disgusting.'

Trigger warning: some people may find the video disturbing

Watch the uncomfortable video here

Following the immense backlash, the office of the spiritual leader posted a formal statement on social media today apologising for his actions.

The statement read:

'His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused,'

The official statement was posted on his social media account too

Dalai Lama

'His Holiness often teases the people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras,'

'He regrets the incident.'

The Dalai Lama remains the universally recognised face of the movement for Tibetan autonomy.

However, the global recognition the spiritual leader enjoyed after winning the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize has dimmed and the deluge of invitations to hobnob with world leaders and Hollywood stars has slowed, partly because the aging leader has cut back on his punishing travel schedule, but also due to China's growing economic and political clout.

Beijing accuses him of wanting to split China, and has referred to him as a 'wolf in a monk's robe'.

In 2019, the Dalai Lama apologised for saying that if his successor were to be a woman, she would have to be 'more attractive'. 

He was 'deeply sorry' and 'genuinely meant no offence' after his comment sparked a global backlash. 

The monk's office said his 'off the cuff remarks' had 'lost their humour in translation', insisting he was a strong supporter of women's rights. 

These comments that faced criticism were made in an interview with the BBC.

Now his more recent controversy involves naming an eight-year-old boy with joint US and Mongolian nationality as the reincarnation of the third most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism.

The formal title of the child, who is said to have a twin, is the tenth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoché - the third most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism and the faith's leader in Mongolia, according to The Times. 

Rumours about the boy's identity had swirled around the spiritual community for years, but his existence has only now been confirmed with his public appearance in India, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile.

The unveiling has sparked fury in China, which previously said it will only recognise Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leaders if they were chosen by special government-approved appointees.