Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers seems to have provided a bit of inspiration to the Dali Lama recently. The Dalai Lama made a visit to a temple in Dharamsala, India where he lives in exile outside of Tibet.
He was in town to visit a group of roughly 120 students who had completed the M3M Foundation-sponsored training program. Suddenly a young boy asked if he could hug him. Unsurprisingly, the Dalai Lama was more than happy to fulfill the boy’s request. One up there, he asked the boy for a kiss on the cheek, then the lips. The Lama then proceeded to stick his tongue out and ask the youngster to “suck” on it. Instead, the child stuck his tongue out in return.
While the Dharamsala temple found this to be a funny and amusing moment between these two, when a video was leaked, the response was far different. India and “Spanish-language social media,” has been the loudest about how wrong this is according to Australian coverage. Colombian journalist Vicky Davila declared it a “scandalous” incident, and absolutely drug her live audience for their decision to “applaud and laugh instead of condemning this aberration.” On social media, the incident has been described as “shocking” and “disgusting” as well as a prime example of “pedophilia.”
For what it’s worth, the Lama’s office issued an apology on April 10th to “the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused.” The statement also reminded people “His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras.”
This statement doesn’t stray from the image of the Dalai Lama in the 1997 film “Seven Years in Tibet” starring Brad Pitt. During the film, a scene of the Lama sticking out his tongue as “a sign of respect or agreement” is shown. For years, this has also been seen as a symbol of him telling his followers to enjoy life and not take it so seriously.
However, looking at how close he has the youngster and the way he is controlling his head by caressing his chin is more than a sign of respect or appreciation. It’s not mentoring or religious, either. Rather, this was a forceful, deliberate, guided, and lustful motion. Much like the scenes for people forcing a kiss in 1950s movies, he was guiding the head of this child.
While many “strange” things are accepted as normal under the guise of religious services, this was more Biden-like than Popely. This kind of deviation is far beyond what anyone could rationally expect. The idea of asking a child (or anyone even) for a kiss on the lips is a bit much like the ruler of a religious organization. Going further and insisting this youngster suck his tongue is beyond what anyone could explain rationally. Instead, this is what the left has been trying to say is acceptable, just now in front of everyone.
For the time being, there has been no change to the calendar and plans for the Lama anytime soon, with many in his office acting as if this is nothing for the world to pay attention to. Rather, they want to simply push forward. With a growing outcry in India, there is a chance he could find himself exiled, but with nobody immediately identified to take his place, the 87-year-old Lama could find himself blissfully staying where he is.
Named Tenzin Gyatso at birth, he has been the Tibetan monk’s leader for decades. His tutelage, inspiration, energy, and expertise have been drawn on by people the world over. Many have claimed massive changes from a simple interaction. However, as much as Carl in Caddyshack loves to believe that having his blessing for total enlightenment on his deathbed is a good thing, one youngster has proven that a religious experience involving the Lama might not be all it’s cracked up to be. At the very least, hopefully, he learned a kid is not made to “suck my kiss.”
