Dalai Lama, 87, apologises after kissing young boy on the lips and asking child to ‘suck’ his tongue

The Dalai Lama has apologized after a disturbing video emerged on social media of him kissing a young Indian boy on the lips before asking him to “suck” his tongue.

Footage of the awkward incident showed the Tibetan spiritual leader inviting a young Indian boy on stage at a charity event held by India’s M3M Foundation at the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala in February.

In the video, the boy asks the Dalai Lama ‘can I hug you?’ to which Tenzin Gyatso replies, okay – come!’.

The spiritual leader first asks the boy to kiss him on the cheek, before pointing to his lips. He holds the boy’s face as they briefly kiss, then the pair press their foreheads together.

Just as the boy is about to back off, the Dalai Lama instructs him, “And suck my tongue” – prompting the young boy to slowly creep forward towards the 87-year-old’s outstretched tongue.

Some of the Dalai Lama’s supporters defended him, claiming that their leader was simply ‘joking’.

Others went so far as to describe the Dalai Lama as a “treacherous false prophet,” while one user called for being “arrested for pedophilia.”

Event attendees can be heard laughing as the boy awkwardly sits in front of the elderly Tibetan Buddhist leader and nervously follows his orders.

Before letting the child go, the Dalai Lama gave him some wisdom, telling him to “look at those good people who create peace and happiness” and not “follow the people who always kill other people.”

Some of the Dalai Lama’s supporters came to his aid, claiming that their leader was just “joking.”

But the clip sparked outrage on social media, with commentators calling the Dalai Lama’s actions “outrageous,” “disgusting” and “absolutely sick.”

Others even described the Dalai Lama as a “treacherous false prophet,” while one user called for him to be “arrested for pedophilia.”

“Utterly shocked by this display by the #DalaiLama. He has also had to apologize in the past for his sexist remarks. But saying – Now suck my tongue on a little boy is disgusting,” wrote user Sangita.

Another poster, Rakhi Tripathi said, ‘What did I just see? What must that child feel? Awful.’

In this file photo taken on Dec. 29, 2022, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama waves during his first day of teaching at the Kalachakra Ground in Bodhgaya

The spiritual leader’s office today posted a formal statement on social media apologizing for his actions.

“His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends around the world, for any pain his words may have caused,” the statement read.

“His Holiness often teases the people he meets in an innocent and playful manner, even in public and in front of cameras,” it added.

“He regrets the incident.”

The Dalai Lama remains the universally recognized face of the Tibetan autonomy movement.

But the global spotlight he enjoyed after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 has faded and the deluge of invitations to talk to world leaders and Hollywood stars has dwindled, partly because the aging leader has cut back his arduous travel schedule, but also because China’s growing economic and political influence.

Beijing accuses him of wanting to split China and calls him a “monk-robed wolf.”

In 2019, the Dalai Lama apologized for saying that if his successor were to be a woman, she should be “attractive.”

The comments, which were criticized around the world, were made in an interview with the BBC.