Outrage has spread online after a video was shared showing the Dalai Lama asking a young boy to “suck [his] tongue” at a public event. Image source: Christopher Michel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Outrage has spread across social media after video footage was shared showing the Dalai Lama asking a young boy to “suck [his] tongue” at a public event in late February.
A number of journalists were present at the event in Dharamshala, India, where the 87-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader made a public appearance.
In the video, the Dalai Lama tells the boy “kiss here” and points to his cheek, prompting the boy to hug and kiss him.
He then encourages the child to kiss him on the mouth, saying “then I think finally here also” and pointing to his lips.
After kissing the boy, the Dalai Lama tells the boy to “suck my tongue” and pokes his tongue out at him – the moment that sparked the widespread controversy online.
Then, he hugs the boy and says, “thank you, we are the same humans, brothers and sisters”.
The video went viral across social media platforms, with many expressing their disgust and decrying the footage as “inappropriate” and “unacceptable.”
Others defended the spiritual leader, claiming that his actions had been taken out of their cultural context – in Tibet, sticking out your tongue has been a traditional greeting since the 9th century.
Namdol Lhagyari, a Tibetan activist in exile, felt the interaction was being viewed inaccurately and unfairly through a Western lens.
“Expression of emotions and manners today has been melted together and become vividly westernized,” said Lhagyari.
“Bringing in narrative of other cultures, customs and social influence on gender and sexuality to interpret Tibetan way of expression is heinous.”
However, not everyone agreed with this justification.
Haq: Center for Child Rights, a prominent child rights group based in Delhi, released a statement on the subject, affirming that it condemns “all forms of child abuse.”
They specifically referenced claims of cultural misinterpretation, stating:
“Some news refers to Tibetan culture about showing tongue, but this video is certainly not about any cultural expression and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable.”
On April 10th, the Dalai Lama’s official Twitter account posted a written apology, explaining that the interaction was meant only as “teasing.”
“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.
“His Holiness wishes to apologise 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.”
