Monday, April 10, 2023 5:05 PM
Dharamsala, India – Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, apologized on Monday after a video showing him kissing a baby on the lips drew criticism.
A statement posted on his official website said the 87-year-old leader regretted the incident and wanted to “apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends around the world, for the hurt his words may have caused.”
The Dalai Lama touches the foreheads of a young boy, who has been blurred to protect his identity, before addressing a group of students in Dharamshala, India, on February 28.
Ashwini Bhatia/AFP
The incident occurred at a public gathering in February at the Tsoglakhang Temple in Dharamsala, where the exiled chief lives. He was getting questions from the audience when the boy asked if he could give him a hug.
The Dalai Lama invited the boy to the platform on which he was sitting. In the video, he points to his cheek, after which the child kisses him before giving him a hug.
Then the Dalai Lama asked the boy to kiss him on the lips and stick out his tongue. The Dalai Lama can be heard saying “and suck my tongue” as the boy sticks out his tongue and leans in, prompting laughter from the audience.
The footage sparked a backlash online, with social media users denouncing his behavior as inappropriate and disturbing.
The Dalai Lama’s statement read: “His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful manner, even in public and in front of cameras.”
The Dalai Lama has made the hillside town of Dharamsala his home since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. India considers Tibet part of China, though it hosts Tibetan exiles.
Copyright © 2023 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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