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Supporters defend Dalai Lama’s odd interaction with young boy, point to Tibet’s history of 'tongue greetings'
"Supporters of the Dalai Lama defended him online this week after the religious leader asked a young boy to "suck my tongue" on Monday, outraging many observers.
The Dalai Lama's defenders argued criticism was coming from Westerners who misunderstand Tibetan culture. Sticking out one's tongue at another person is considered a sign of respect or affirmation in the region's culture, according to the University of California at Berkeley's Institute of East Asian Studies.
"Expression of emotions and manners today has been melted together and become vividly westernised," Tibetan activist Namdol Lhagyari tweeted Monday. "Bringing in narrative of other cultures, customs and social influence on gender and sexuality to interpret Tibetan way of expression is heinous."
"At [the] Dalai Lama’s temple, a child asked him if he could hug Dalai Lama & he said yes, then he asked for a kiss & Dalai Lama did a kiss, then jokingly Dalai Lama said ‘you can suck my tongue’. So that was a part of a joke or just a play with the kid, so we should not go more than that," said Dawa Tsering, a member of the Tibetan Parliament In Exile."
The Dalai Lama apologizes for asking a young boy to suck his tongue
"The Dalai Lama has apologized for kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to "suck my tongue" after a video of the incident sparked outrage on social media.
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 published by his office on Monday.
"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras," the statement adds.
Video shows the Dalai Lama asking the boy to "suck my tongue"
A video of the incident shared widely on social media shows a young boy approaching the Dalai Lama during an event, asking him for a hug.
The leader calls him on stage and motions to his cheek, saying "first here," according to a live translation from the event. The boy obliges, and the Dalai Lama offers a hug, then continues holding onto the boy.
The leader then motions to his lips, saying "I think here also." He cups the boy's chin and kisses him on the mouth as the audience laughs and applauds.
The Dalai Lama pauses, then adds, "and suck my tongue." The boy slowly moves his head closer to the Dalai Lama's but appears only to touch his forehead before withdrawing.
The incident happened at an event in February at the Tsuglagkhang Temple complex, where the Dalai Lama resides. In attendance were more than 120 students who completed a skills training course hosted by the M3M Foundation — a charity arm of a prominent Indian real estate group.
The foundation posted photos from the event in early March, including some with the boy from the video. M3M did not respond to NPR's request for more information about the boy's identity.
The video has been shared millions of times on social media
The video spread quickly on social media, where commenters have called it "scandalous," "disgusting" and "abusive." At least one tweet containing the video shows it's been viewed more than 4.1 million times.
In the U.S., the video has been shared by right-wing influencers who have tried to use it to claim without evidence that pedophilia has run rampant.
In Tibet, sticking out one's tongue is known as a traditional greeting, stemming from a 9th-century myth about an unpopular king with a black tongue.
When the king died, Tibetans began revealing their tongues to show they hadn't become his incarnate. Tongue-sucking does not appear to be part of the tradition."
The Dalai Lama has long sat at the center of controversy. . ." READ MORE
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