The Dalai Lama Has Apologized For Asking A Boy To “Suck His Tongue”
The Dalai Lama’s office said he often teases people he meets in “an innocent and playful way” and that he regrets the incident.
The Dalai Lama has apologized for kissing a boy and then asking the child to “suck his tongue” at a public event.
The interaction took place at an event attended by students at the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala in late February but recently went viral.
In the video, the 87-year-old spiritual leader told the boy to join him on the stage, before motioning to his cheek and saying “first here.”
The boy then kisses him and gives him a hug.
The Dalai Lama then says “I think here also” and kissed the boy on the lips, before saying “And suck my tongue” while poking his tongue out at the boy.
He then puts his forehead against the boy’s forehead while pulling the boy in for another hug as the audience laughs.
The viral video has sparked outrage, with some deeming it “inappropriate”.
In response, the Dalai Lama’s office has issued an apology.
“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 statement read.
His office added that the Dalai Lama “often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way” and that he regrets the incident.
This is not the first time the Dalai Lama has been embroiled in controversy.
His office had previously apologized in 2019 after he said that if the Dalai Lama returns as a woman, “she should be more attractive.”
