The Dalai Lama apologized after being outraged when he kissed a young Indian boy on the mouth and asked him to “suck” his tongue.
The spiritual leader’s office issued a statement on Monday after footage of a bizarre interaction that occurred last month at an event for India’s M3M Foundation went viral on social media.
The statement said it “wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, in addition to to many friends all over the world for any hurt his words could have caused,” CNN reported.
“His Holiness often teases people he meets in innocent and playful ways, even in public and in front of cameras,” the statement reads, and he “regrets” this interaction.
Tibetan Buddhist leader Tenzin Gyatso hosted disciples and foundation members at his temple in Dharamsala, India, where he lives in exile.
![The spiritual leader's office issued a statement on Monday after recording the sick incident.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/cdscds.png?w=1024)
Within the video, the boy goes to the microphone and asks, “Can I hug you?”
The 87-year-old says “OK, come on” and invites him to the stage.
The Dalai Lama points to his cheek and says “first here” and the boy embraces and kisses him.
He holds the boy’s arm and turns to him, saying “then I assume it’s fantastic here too,” pointing to his mouth.
The spiritual leader then grabs the boy’s chin and kisses him on the mouth while the audience laughs.
“And suck my tongue,” says the Dalai Lama to the boy, protruding his tongue.
![The Dalai Lama starts kissing the boy on the mouth as shown in the picture.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/fdvfd.png?w=1024)
They press their foreheads together, and the boy stands out his tongue for a moment, then pulls back because the Dalai Lama playfully slaps him on the chest and laughs.
The boy wants to drag away, however the Dalai Lama shakes his hand and puts it to his cheek, then pulls him into one other hug.
He then gives the boy spiritual advice, telling him to “look [to] those good individuals who create peace, happiness” and never “don’t follow these people who find themselves all the time killing other people”.
The clip caused a stir in India, with some online calling the footage “scary” and “gross”, while its supporters insisted he was “joking” with the boy, in keeping with local media.
The video went viral on Spanish-language social media.
“This video is scandalous,” Colombian journalist Vicky Dávila tweeted. “The Dalai Lama kisses the mouth of a boy who’s approaching him. Participants applaud and laugh as an alternative of condemning this aberration.”
Last month, the official Twitter account of the Central Tibetan Administration shared a clip of the second half of the interaction.
“While meeting with students and members of the M3M Foundation within the courtyard of Thekchen Choeling Tsuglakhang, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama advised a young Indian boy to look to a good man who’s all the time working to cultivate peace and happiness on this planet,” Tibet.net wrote.
In 2019, the Dalai Lama became embroiled in a sexism controversy after remarking that if his successor were a woman, “she ought to be more attractive.”
His office was forced to apologize, saying that sometimes his “surprise remarks which may be funny in a single cultural context lose their humor in translation when transferred to a different.”
The 12 months before, he made headlines when, during his trip to Sweden, he suggested refugees return to their homes and help rebuild their countries because “Europe belongs to Europeans.”