The Dalai Lama kissed the boy and invited him to 'suck his tongue': a scandal erupted on the Internet

The Dalai Lama has apologized after being accused of inappropriate behavior. At a public event in India, he kissed a boy on the lips and asked him to "suck his tongue", reports TheGuardian.

Photo: IStock

An interaction at a temple in India shown in the video has gone viral. The Dalai Lama's behavior was condemned as "inappropriate" and "scandalous".

The meeting, which took place in late February at the Temple of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, was attended by about 100 young students who had just graduated from the Indian M3M Foundation.

The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the holiest figure in Tibetan Buddhism and has lived in exile in India since 1959, when Tibet was annexed by China.

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In a video that went viral, one of the young students walked up to the microphone at the event and asked the Dalai Lama, "Can I hug you?"

The 87-year-old Dalai Lama ordered the boy to go up to the platform where he was sitting. Pointing to his cheek, he can be heard saying “first here”, after which the student kissed him and hugged him.

The Dalai Lama held the boy back, saying, "I'm thinking here too," and then kissed him on the lips. “And suck my tongue,” the Dalai Lama then said, sticking out his tongue. The boy quickly stuck out his tongue and leaned towards the Dalai Lama, he laughed and pulled the boy towards him for another hug as the audience laughed.

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The spiritual leader then reached out to the boy, advising him to turn to those who create "peace and happiness" rather than follow "people who are always killing other people" before hugging him one last time.

When the video went viral on the internet, many condemned it as "inappropriate", "scandalous" and "disgusting". The controversy prompted an apology from the Dalai Lama's office, who said his behavior was "innocent and playful".

The statement read: “His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as to his many friends around the world, for the pain his words may have caused. His Holiness often innocently and playfully teases the people he meets, even in public and in front of cameras. He regrets the incident."

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The Dalai Lama has faced adversity before. In 2019, he sparked outrage by saying that if the Dalai Lama returns as a woman, "she should be more attractive", for which his office apologized.

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