Dalai Lama Kisses Young Boy And Asks Him To Suck His Tongue, Sparking Outrage
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, is under fire for asking a young boy to suck his tongue in a public setting. He has since expressed regret, but many are refusing to accept his apology.
Born Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama is considered the successor in a line of tulkus who are believed to be incarnations of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. He lives as a refugee in Dharamsala, India and is thought to be a uniting figure for Tibet. The Dalai Lama, 87, is a spiritual leader revered by many people all over the world, even if they aren't Buddhist. He has a rigorous daily routine that includes an early rise (3 a.m.), a few hours of meditation and prayers, and studying. Although many look to him for spiritual guidance, he has recently upset many with his actions towards a young boy in northern India.
Dalai Lama Kisses Young Boy and Asks Him To Suck His Tongue, Sparking Outrage
The Dalai Lama lives in Dharamsala in exile, and he attended an event with the M3M Foundation, a philanthropic organization associated with an Indian real estate company. He interacted with a young boy on stage in front of a microphone, and the exchange was filmed; the video has since gone viral. The Dalai Lama first gives the boy, whose identity is unknown, a hug. He follows it with a kiss on the lips.
"And suck my tongue," he said, sticking out his tongue in the boy's face.
Many people are accusing the Dalai Lama of acting pedophilic and engaging in behavior that is sexually predatory to children. "The media doesn’t know the term for when an adult asks a child to suck their tongue. It’s called child sexual abuse! The child was in distress but nothing will be done about it. Shame on The Dalai Lama. The world calls him 'a great spiritual leader'. We know what he really is," activist Landon Starbuck tweeted.
This event reportedly happened a couple of months ago, but it has just emerged online, sparking outrage toward the Dalai Lama. It has caused such an uproar that the Dalai Lama's team released a statement on his Twitter account on Monday.
"A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug," the statement 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."
"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident."
Many people are still responding with concerns about his behavior. Others wonder aloud why the media isn't covering this as intensely as you might see if another religious leader, such as the pope, had done this to a child in public. The Dalai Lama has been at the heart of controversy in the past when he said a woman could only succeed him as Dalai Lama if she were good-looking enough. “If female Dalai Lama comes, then (she) should be more attractive,” he said.
However, people are much less concerned with this comment compared to how he acted with the young boy in Dharamsala. If this is how he acts in front of the camera with kids, people are wondering what he might do behind closed doors.