The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader,
apologized Monday to a child for kissing him on the mouth and asking him to suck his tongue
a few weeks ago during a hearing, the video of which went viral on social media.
"His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as to his many friends around the world, for any pain his words may have caused," said a statement on his official Twitter account.
"His holiness often jokes with people he knows in an innocent and playful way, even in public and on camera.
He regrets this incident
," the message added, according to the AFP news agency.
Tenzin Gyatso -the Dalai Lama-, 87, was with a group of 120 students who had received their university degree.
"Since I came to live in India, I have been able to meet all kinds of people, including scholars and scientists, who are interested in methods of achieving the peace of mind that has kept us alive," the Dalai Lama told the young people at that event.
While he was giving his speech, a boy interrupted him and he accordingly made him go up to where he was.
There, according to media reports such as Tribune India and India Times,
he greeted him with a kiss on the mouth
, hugged him and at the end, before saying goodbye with a "thank you", asked him to "suck his tongue".
"Can you suck my tongue?" says the man and then sticks out his tongue
, unleashing the hilarity of those present.
The video
was recorded on February 28
, during an audience with the Dalai Lama in McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamsala in northern India, where the spiritual leader has lived in exile since the failure of the 1951 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
Strong rejection in the networks
Some netizens called her attitude "
disgusting" and "absolutely unhealthy".
"Parents, do not neglect your children", "Incredible and they see it as super normal", "I have read books and phrases of the Dalai Lama and it has always seemed super good to me!
Especially when he talks about pain or processes, but seeing this I completely fell to the floor! ”, Were some of the comments of repudiation.
“I read that Tibetans stick out their tongues as a sign of greeting and a wish for peace.
But from there to kissing a child on the mouth and asking him to take his tongue.
That is not part of that millennial culture
!
Apart from the strong scene it is dirty and aberrational!
It's detestable!" Added another person.
The official Twitter account for news of the Tibetan Administration shared a clip of the moment, but omitted the much-commented part on that social network.
In 2019, the Dalai Lama already had to apologize for saying that if a woman were to succeed him, she would have to be "attractive."
These comments, in an interview with the BBC, caused controversy and a strong scandal on social networks.
The Dalai Lama is the
representative of the movement for the autonomy of Tibet
, but the international presence that he enjoyed when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 has declined partly because of his age but also because of his growing economic influence. and Chinese politics.
look also
The Dalai Lama and some images that outrage on networks: he asks a young man to suck his tongue
