Dalai llama ask a child to suck his tongue

[Mooshamoo]

Has anyone seen the new video of the Dalai Llama asking a child to suck his tongue. Yes. It sounds bizarre. But it is in the news right now. The video is out there. And the dalai llama is apologising on social media now

Im devastated! I went to see the Dalai Llama in India. He gave a speech on accepting and loving everyone, and that it didn't matter what religion we are. I always told people that it was one of the highlights of my life.

I went through life thinking he was a good person, that he was one of the good ones. To see this today, makes me think oh no is he yet another abuser.

Some people have remarked about this video that sticking your tongue out at someone is a greeting in Tibet.

However - the Dalai Llama kisses the child on the lips in the video, and asks the child to suck his tongue. It does not look right at all.

He has apologised on twitter now.

What do you all think?

I'm in despair of the 'he's got dementia' comments.

People up and down the country in their thousands have dementia and they aren't doing this.

As soon as a powerful abuser has the excuse of age and infirmity not only do they hide behind it but women rush to their defence.

Why do you think Harvey Weinstein turned up to court with a walking aid?

The excuse that it is normal for kids to stick their tongue out in Tibet is ludicrous. Of course, children stick their tongues out (when they choose to) in many cultures all over the world and probably always have. However, doing it because an old perv who has just made you kiss him on the lips says that you should, and upon the basis that he may suck it, in front of a huge televised audience when you may well have never kissed anyone on the lips before - joke? come off it!!

stop making bloody excuses for him! that poor lad

He's always been flakey and has got increasingly so as he ages.

Very odd behaviour.

Every organised religion is a moral vacuum where abuse of power is not only the norm but the goal.

And some of the responses on here show how the abuses went / go unchecked for so long.

A holy man I have been gullible / vulnerable enough to give god like qualities to proves to be a corrupt, fallible human and rather than acknowledge that I’ll brush it away as a joke, a cultural norm, depression, dementia, a brain tumour!

Every human is capable of bad behaviour. The deification ordinary men never ends well.

All the acolytes desperately trying to explain & excuse this. Oh it’s cultural, it’s not really abuse, oh we don’t understand in the west

I think it's because he was seen as a kinder more compassionate alternative, to the strict, corrupt religions in the West.

People were seeking for a kinder religion.

Turns out he was just the same as all the rest of them.

Indeed. There is NO context which can make it acceptable.

Yes, I have one acquaintance who has taken it to a real extreme. She is a highly intelligent scientist with a PHD but has made all of this her life's purpose 24/7. I am interested to see what she has to say about it given that I have only ever seen her to be absolutely lovely.
I wonder how it will be minimised and suppressed and which famous friends will crawl out of the woodwork to defend him.

Perfectly put.

If you don't think a man in a position of power telling a child to suck their tongue isn't both abusive and abhorrent, then as far as I'm concerned you're a paedophile supporter. I'm not buying the culture/joke excuse personally.

Why he did that in front of the world is a baffling question...

Maybe I am.

To be honest Buddhism got me though some really difficult times and I’m struggling with this.

Casually minimising abuse is not what I intended. The incident should not have happened.

I’ve no idea really if the Dalai Lama’s intentions were playful or if he was intentional abusive but to be fair no one on mumsnet does. The boy should 100% not be put in this position by anyone including the Dalai Lama.

Then don’t claim you’ve posted ‘evidence’ he has dementia.

The tongue sucking request can only ever be sexual. As a comment made by an adult to a child it can only be one kind of sexual deviancy. Come on guys, you adore this leader figure but would you agree to happening to your mc children in a nice community on the opposite side of the world or is a poor, brown kid fair game because you have decided that it is culturally acceptable without any evidence?

’It was meant to be a joke.’

And you are privy to the intentions of the DL how exactly.

No adult in their right mind would think it appropriate to suggest this to a child. Stop with the dangerous culture of apology.

I'd also look at the acolyte hangers on surrounding him on the podium, and at the wider cult too. All men afais. Who are they, how did they get to be at the top table with DL? Are they colluding or deluded? Are women allowed to be top members or members at all?

I honestly despair at the apologists on this thread.

My comment was deleted, because I suggested the P word

It is definitely the tip of a massive iceberg. However, the DL has powerful supporters who can easily melt icebergs.

You need to listen to evil genius! (Or maybe not) but it is very, very eye opening. (And hilarious)

Another deprived high profile individual letting us see who he really is. Disgusting and stomach churning. But will anything be done on the back this? Nope.

Well, if nothing is done then it will clearly signal that our civilisation is willfully being led down a particular path by those in charge which is very sad indeed.

Agree. It's sick.

Some people are passive & persuadable they need & seek the false Comfort of spirituality and religion
People venerate and excuse individuals and institutions like the royals, the Dalai Lama, organised religion and scurry to excuse the inexcusable
Simply peruse the thread you’ll read minimisation, excuses and oh it’s cultural. It’s a misunderstanding, he’s not well to excuse abuse

this is what happens when you venerate and deify individuals

makes a change from the pope