Penpa Tsering, the leader of the Tibetan government in exile, defended the Dalai Lama in response to a social media video that went viral and showed the spiritual leader kissing a toddler on the lips and requesting that he "suck my tongue."
The Dalai Lama's acts, according to Tsering, were "innocent" and had been misinterpreted, and the issue had "hurt" the leader's supporters. Tsering noted that although no proof was offered, the internal probe seemed to indicate that "pro-Chinese sources" were in charge of disseminating the film on social media.
The Dalai Lama, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, apologized on Monday after the video received criticism from all across the world, including claims of child abuse. Tsering emphasized that the Dalai Lama has always led a monastic life, practicing celibacy and making an effort to abstain from sensual pleasures. Tenzin Gyatso, the 87-year-old current Dalai Lama, is seen by millions as the reincarnation of his 13 predecessors and is the most well-known living Buddhist figure in the world. Since the Tibetan rebellion against Chinese occupation, which resulted in the expulsion of thousands of people from Dharamshala, he has been based in India.
Some Dalai Lama supporters claim that the way he behaved in the film was misread by Westerners. Tibetan activist Namdol Lhagyari claimed on Twitter that Western society had "vividly Westernized" how people express their feelings and behave. But the February event was not the 80-year-old's first brush with trouble in recent years.
He later apologized for saying that the female Dalai Lama who succeeds him should be "more attractive," although the previous year he made comments indicating that Europe should only be open to Europeans in the face of an increasing number of African refugees.
