Dalai Lama Asking Child to Suck his Tongue Apologizes

Dalai Lama Asking Child to Suck his Tongue Apologizes,  A video of the Dalai Lama has surfaced kissing a young boy on the lips and requesting him to “suck my tongue” sparked outrage on social media, prompting an apology from the spiritual leader.

According to a statement released by his office on Monday, the 87-year-old Buddhist priest “regrets the incident” and apologises to “the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world” for any pain his words may have caused.

The statement continues, “His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful manner, even in public and in front of cameras.”  Here is the Video of Dalai Lama

A Viral Video of the Dalai Lama Sparks Criticism and Apology

In the video, the young boy is seen approaching the Nobel Peace Prize recipient and requesting, “May I hug you?”

The 87-year-old spiritual leader then invites the boy onto the stage and says, “first here,” prompting the boy to embrace and kiss him.

The Dalai Lama then indicates his lips and says, “then I also think here.” Then, he kisses the boy on the lip after pulling the boy’s chin.

After a few seconds, protruding his tongue, he says, “And lick my tongue.”

The boy’s identity remains unknown. He was at an event hosted by the M3M Foundation, the charitable arm of the Indian real estate firm M3M Group, headquartered in Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama resides in permanent exile.

Controversy Surrounding Dalai Lama: Child Rights Group Condemns His Actions

Following widespread online criticism of the Dalai Lama’s behavior, a video of the incident, which took place in February at an event in the highland city of Dharamshala, has gone viral, prompting an apology from the spiritual leader.

In response to the incident, the prominent Delhi-based child rights organisation Haq: Center for Child Rights condemned “all forms of child abuse” in a statement.

It added, “Some news reports refer to Tibetan culture regarding tongue-showing, but this video is not about any cultural expression, and even if it were, such cultural expressions are unacceptable.”

The present Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is one of the most recognisable figures in the history of Buddhism.

Millions revere the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of his 13 predecessors, as he is the principal spiritual leader of the “Yellow Hat” school of Tibetan Buddhism.

After a failed Tibetan insurrection against Chinese occupation in 1959, the spiritual leader has resided in India since that year. Thousands of Tibetans followed him to the northern Indian city of Dharamshala, where he later established a government-in-exile.

The February incident is not the first occasion in recent years that the octogenarian has caused controversy.

In a 2019 interview with the BBC, he stated that if a female Dalai Lama were to succeed him, she “should be more attractive.” He subsequently issued an apology.

When discussing the rising number of African refugees entering the continent, he suggested a year ago that Europe should be reserved for Europeans.

“Will all of Europe eventually become a Muslim nation? Impossible. Or an African nation, he said, adding that it is preferable to “keep Europe for Europeans.”

The Dalai Lama can be seen on camera asking the little child to “suck my tongue.”

A widely shared video of the incident depicts a young boy approaching the Dalai Lama during an event and requesting for a hug.

According to a live translation of the event, the leader summons him on stage and gestures to his cheek, saying “first here.” The child complies, and the Dalai Lama offers a hug before continuing to hold onto him.

The commander then gestures to his lips and says, “I concur.” As the audience laughs and applauds, he kisses the child on the mouth while holding his chin in his hand.

The Dalai Lama pauses before continuing, “and suck my tongue.” Slowly, the child moves his head closer to the Dalai Lama, but he appears to only touch his forehead before retreating.

The incident occurred in February at the Tsuglagkhang Temple complex, where the Dalai Lama resides, during a ceremony. More than 120 students who had completed a skills training course hosted by the M3M Foundation, the charitable branch of a prominent Indian real estate firm, were in attendance.

Early in March, the foundation published photos from the event, including some with the boy from the video. M3M did not respond to NPR’s inquiry regarding the identity of the child.

Millions of people have shared the video online.

The video rapidly spread through social media, where commenters deemed it “scandalous,” “repulsive,” and “abusive.” At least one tweet containing the video indicates that it has been viewed over 4 million times.

The video has been shared by right-wing influencers in the United States as another example of endemic paedophilia.

In Tibet, sticking out one’s tongue is a common greeting, originating from a myth about an unpopular monarch with a black tongue from the ninth century.

Tibetans began revealing their tongues after the death of the monarch to demonstrate that they had not become his reincarnation. Apparently, It does not appear that tongue-sucking is part of the Buddhist tradition.

It is no secret that the Dalai Lama has been involved in a lot of controversy throughout his life.

As the head of the “Yellow Hat” sect of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is one of the world’s most well-known spiritual leaders. Followers of the spiritual sect consider Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, to be the reincarnation of his thirteen predecessors.

The octogenarian spiritual leader has stirred up some trouble in recent times

In 2018, he urged the growing number of African refugees to return to their home continents, declaring, “Europe belongs to Europeans.” And the following year, he issued an apology after stating in an interview with the BBC that if he had a female successor, she “should be more attractive.”

Since 1959, following a failed Tibetan insurrection against Chinese occupation, the Dalai Lama has resided in the hilly, verdant city of Dharamshala in northern India. Beijing continues to view Tibetan Buddhists with hostility and skepticism.

The Dalai Lama has devoted his entire existence to advocating for Tibetan autonomy, and he has taken steps to ensure that his legacy will continue. Though he hopes to live to be 113 years old, he intends to consult with his advisors around the age of 90 for instructions on selecting his successor