ALBAWABA- A video of the Dalai Lama asking a child to suck his tongue has been defended by a top Tibetan leader.
In a video of a charity event, the Tibetan spiritual leader, Tenzin Gyatso, invited a young boy on stage and asked him to "suck my tongue." The incident sparked controversy on social media and people labeled the actions as disturbing. Head of Tibet's government-in-exile, Penpa Tsering, called the Dalai Lama's actions "innocent" and misinterpreted.
“His holiness has always lived in sanctity, (following the life of) a Buddhist monk, including celibacy. His years of spiritual practice have gone beyond sensorial pleasures,” Tsering said. “His holiness is now being labeled all kinds of names.”
In a statement on Twitter, the Dalai Lama has offered an apology to the boy and his family. It called his actions "innocent and playful."
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); -->Some of the Dalai Lama's supporters claim his actions in the video have been misinterpreted under a Western lens.
“Expression of emotions and manners today has been melted together and become vividly westernized,” Namdol Lhagyari, a Tibetan activist in exile, wrote on Twitter Monday. “Bringing in narrative of other cultures, customs and social influence on gender and sexuality to interpret Tibetan way of expression is heinous.”
This isn't the first controversy sparked by the spiritual leader. In a 2019 BBC interview, the Dalai Lama said if a female succeeded him, she "should be more attractive." In 2018, he suggested Europe should be kept for Europeans when speaking about the rising level of African refugees entering the continent. Both cases sparked criticism online
