Dalai Lama apologizes for kissing young boy and “suck my tongue” remark
The Dalai Lama has issued an apology after a video went viral on social media showing him kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to “suck my tongue”.
The incident took place in February 2023 at an event in the Tsuglagkhang Temple complex, where the Dalai Lama resides, and was attended by over 120 students. The video was shared widely on social media and has been viewed millions of times.
The 87-year-old Buddhist priest “regrets the incident” and wishes to apologize to “the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused,” according to a statement from his office. In the statement, the Dalai Lama’s office explains that he often teases people in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras.