The Dalai Lama has been under criticism for days after a video of him kissing a kid on the lips before inviting him to “suck” his tongue at an event in the north went viral. India. Although this is not the first time the Tibetan spiritual leader has made headlines for contentious actions or remarks for which Tibetans have been forced to apologize. Here are some of the Dalai Lama Rinpoche’s other disputes over the years.
The Dalai Lama has previously been chastised. In a 2015 interview with the BBC, he stated that the future Dalai Lama may be a woman, but she must be beautiful or she “wouldn’t be of much use.” Similarly, in a 2019 interview with the British network, he stated that if he were to replace a “female Dalai Lama, then she should be more attractive.”
He, too, apologized in a statement issued by his office some time after making those divisive remarks. “His Holiness had no intention of offending anyone.” “He is deeply sorry that his comments offended anyone and expresses his heartfelt apologies,” according to the statement.
During the same BBC interview in 2019, the Dalai Lama made some controversial statements with former US President Donald Trump. At the time, the religious leader declared that the businessman “lacked moral principles,” criticized his “America First” approach, and declared him “wrong.”