The spiritual leader of the Tibetans enjoys great sympathy and respect around the world. In 1989 he received the Nobel Peace Prize. However, his good reputation may be called into question after a video of him kissing a young boy on the mouth circulated around the world.
A video of the Dalai Lama kissing a young boy on the mouth went viral
During a charity event in India, the Dalai Lama invited a young boy on stage, hugged him and then kissed him on the lips. The Tibetan leader then asked the boy to “suck his tongue”. The embarrassed boy did not know how to behave in this situation. When he wanted to comply with the 87-year-old’s request, the monk hid his tongue. When the video was released, netizens called the Dalai Lama’s behavior “scandalous”, “disgusting” and “absolutely sick”.
Some find the recording chilling, while others explain it as a Tibetan tradition
If someone suspects the Dalai Lama of molesting a child in front of the cameras, he has a problem himself, and his suspicions say more about himself.
– said an expert in Tibetan Buddhism, Adam Kozieł from the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.
In Tibetan culture, sticking your tongue out to someone is a greeting – something like shaking hands with us. Tongue sticking out has no sexual overtones.
However, this opinion is not shared by Prof. Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz, a well-known Polish sexologist:
One can suspect that the Dalai Lama had unhealthy inclinations, maybe not towards children, because there was no information on this subject so far, but this sexuality of his probably made itself felt. He definitely overstepped the mark on a little boy, there’s no doubt about it. It is impossible to defend it and say that his behavior was absolutely asexual. The Dalai Lama, probably to the joy of the Chinese people, lost a lot. Lost in the eyes of the whole world. Pity. What was his behavior? Has he grown so old that he no longer knows what he’s doing, or has he forgotten? I have no idea. He’s definitely done something that shouldn’t have happened and will hurt his image a lot.
– said prof. Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz in an interview with “Fact”.
On Monday, April 10, the office of the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people issued a statement saying that it “wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as to many friends around the world for the pain his words may have caused.”
This is not the first time the Dalai Lama has caused a scandal. A few years ago he was accused of sexism
However, this is not the first time a Tibetan leader has caused a scandal. A few years ago, in an interview with the BBC, the then 83-year-old Dalai Lama said that his successor might be a woman. Better yet, he added, she was attractive. His words caused a storm, and the monk was accused of sexism. When asked to explain, he added that if his words offended a woman, she should spend more money on makeup. The surprised journalist, trying to save the conversation, suggested that appearance is not the most important thing, that what matters is who we are. The Dalai Lama then tried to smooth things over by saying, “True beauty is inner beauty. That’s true. But for people, looks are also important.
Sources: Twitter, viva.pl, Fakt.pl, forbes.pl, newsweek.pl, BBC
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
