Call it the “tongue seen round the world.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has set off an international firestorm and become the target of intense criticism following a controversial interaction he had with a young boy during a recent public event in the northern Indian city of Dharamsala.
It all started when the child approached the podium where the Dalai Lama was speaking and asked the 87-year-old Tibetan leader for a hug. The Dalai Lama urged the child to approach, where the two shared a moment on stage as the cameras were rolling.
That’s where things get interesting.
The Dalai Lama motions the boy to kiss him on the cheek, saying “first here.” He follows with, “I think here also,” and plants a kiss on the boy’s lips.
Going forehead to forehead, the Dalai Lama says “and suck my tongue” before sticking out his tongue at the boy.
You can see the full clip here:
International Outrage Grows
Almost immediately, the internet began exploding with negative reactions. Many people argued that the behavior was inappropriate and that the spiritual leader crossed a line.
As the controversy grew, so did the criticism:
Some went so far as to accuse the Dalai Lama of pedophilia:
Others sought to highlight a double standard between religious services and controversial events like drag shows:
The spiritual leader’s office has since released a statement of apology, saying:
“His holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused. His holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident.”
Creepy Behavior, or Cultural Norm?
Defenders of the Dalai Lama say the incident has been blown out of proportion, and urge his critics to consider Tibetan cultural norms.
According to experts, in Tibetan culture, sticking out one’s tongue is a common greeting or sign of respect.
“It's been our traditional way of greeting,” one Tibetan told VICE News. “I have also seen [the Dalai Lama] being playful with Tibetans. For us, it is sad that it has been misinterpreted by the international community.
Apparently, the traditional greeting has its origins in Tibetan folklore and the Buddhist belief in reincarnation.
The 9th century Tibetan king Lang Darma was infamously cruel, and was said to have a black tongue. In the years following his death, the Tibetan people developed a custom of sticking out their tongues at one another to prove they were not the reincarnation of the king, and to show they brought no evil with them.
History of Affection
It’s also not the first time the Dalai Lama’s cultural norms have been the source of controversy. In the wake of this latest incident, defenders point to his long-running habit of showing great affection when meeting people – from children, to adults, to other spiritual leaders:
“I still remember when the great Christian spiritual leader, Desmond Tutu, visited the Dalai Lama in India, and they hugged and kissed like two pure kids,” says Tibetan journalist Tsering Kyi. “It was a beautiful display of love, but some people with dirty minds interpreted it as something else back then too.”
Although the event occurred back in February, the video of the incident didn’t go viral until just recently.
To some, the timing is suspect. In fact, certain experts think the video’s surprise circulation could be the work of the Chinese government, who have been seeking to discredit the Dalai Lama for the last 70 years.
They point out that some of the negative posts going viral on social media originated in China, and that Chinese users have eagerly shared wild accusations about the Tibetan leader in the wake of the controversy.
Regardless of its origins, the controversy doesn't appear it's going to blow over anytime soon.
What is your reaction? Were the Dalai Lama’s actions inappropriate? Is this simply a matter of cultural differences, or is there something more concerning at play here?
89 comments
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Cheryl Pettijohn
Sticking out your tongue may be a cultural norm, and that is OK, but asking someone to suck it is not. Pretending it is normal is ridiculous.
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Lionheart
Please excuse my tongue-in-cheek humor 😜
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Rev Mark D
Oh man, does that ever deserve a rimshot. Ba dum bump!
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Lionheart
Yes, it’s the same as those who culturally show their genitals 🤭
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Rev Mark D
I gather this is somewhat worse than "Pull my finger"?
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
I've witnessed that culture at nude beaches, right here in the United States, but didn't see any tongue sucking going on. They were doing a lot of other things with eachother though.
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Mary
Spoken from someone who never leaves their box and just got out of the shower!! You have no clue as to what it all even means and are ignorant.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
And who knows what could have been on his tongue. He might have even been catching flies.
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Nicholas J Page
Disgusting behaviour from a highly ranked man he is finished especially as the world knows about this strip him of his title immediately.And for God's sake keep him away from children.
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Mary
"Eat My Tongue" The Tibetan Phrade "Che Le Sa" A key point is missing; In the Tibetan culture, it is common to see the old grandparents not only give a pop kiss to the small children but also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths - directly mouth to mouth. This may not be the norm of YOUR culture but thus is commonly done in others. After the elder gives a pop kiss and a candy, since there is nothing left in their mouth, nothing left to give, they will say the phrase, "Ok, now 'eat my tongue'" (not 'suck',' as His Holiness misspoke due to his less proficient English). The Tibetan phrase is "Che le sa". They say that as in "I've given you all my love and the candy so that's it - all that's left to do is eat my tongue. And it is a playful thing that the children know unlike most commenting who never leave their box. This is not really done in the Lhasa region (capital of Tibet) so much. but it is more common in the Amdo region (where HH is from). However, it is definitely a Tibetan custom. Once you are now learning about! If we are honest with ourselves, we know that when we form an opinion on any topic without considering many aspects of the context in any given situation, we are choosing to keep a significant degree of ignorance in our reasoning. Now maybe you have learned something new today.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
I guess it would be alright if he reciprocated, and the boy's parents didn't object.
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President Donnie D General Founder Owner of themonastery.org
Thanks for sharing President Donnie D Jackson General Real Estate Property management Roanoke st Alexandria Louisiana Police Department PUBLIC RESOURCES
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Mary
Spoken from someone who never leaves their box and is blindfully ignorant of others customs.
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Fiona Dunn
Nicholas, this is so sad you feel this way, some people in this world blindly wander as sheep or lemmings. I firmly believe we should keep and respect traditions or we would all be robotic versions of a sad society stereotype. God made us all different so we could learn tolerance and love and humility.
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High Priestess Vega
It is about time organized religion dies out and this is honestly proof that ALL religions need to evaluate who and what they hold at such a high standard. While I know "His Holiness" is a label, he is in fact, not holy and to give him that title STILL, after this, and the fact that he also did it to a grown woman one time, SPEAKS VOLUMES.
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Geoffrey C. Olive
Seems to be the norm for priests at all levels in all religions!
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Patrick Alois deHertogh
How disturbing. Out of all the religious beliefs in my life. Buddhism has made the most sense to me. And for a guy whose whole trip is control of the mind does not make sense you could argue he lost his mind do to old age but then the wanting to suck tounges thing is a fruition of something else even more disturbing. Seems end of days are here what was pure and good has turned perverted and foul. One thing apparent is a person can not be lead to believe they are better than any other humans. This the whole point loose your perceptions of yourself shave your head and beg for a days meal. Anything other than that is a false perception of oneself. Whats to be learned ? I suppose look at yourself when were so proud of are achievements be careful or we could be sucking on tounges.
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Rev Mark D
The black tongue reference was interesting. Makes sense, reminds me of an awful lot of Buddhist and Hindu and also Chinese drawings I've seen and wondered what is that all about.
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
Read “Buddhism, a Religion for the non-religious” Allen Watts.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
I have a cassette tape by Allen Watts called The Way of Zen. Is that good enough, Bishop Dusendingleberry?
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
Read “Buddhism, a Religion for the non-religious” Allen Watts.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
In my studies about Buddhism I learned that Buddhism is not a religion, or a psychology, but simply is. There is no god in Buddhism. Buddha was a man, whose name was Siddhartha Gautama, and he had an excelled, complete awakening, which made him a Buddha.
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Dr. Zerpersande, NSC
That’s my take also. It’s a philosophy of life. In life, you suffer. You suffer because you want stuff. Wanting stuff can be fixed. You fix the wanting stuff by following the 8-fold path. 4+8=12 It’s a 12-step program but it works far better than most. I just back through the above and changed 3 instances of one word to ‘stuff’ to adhere to Right Speech, a common error for me. Which stems from lapses with Right Mindfulness.
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Colleen McAllister
Cultural norm or not, that was inappropriate. The Dalai Lama is supposed to be a learned man and should know better. If he has no self control it speaks ill of his ability to act as the Dalai Lama.
As to his apology, that was for his words but not his actions. A pity.
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Geoffrey C. Olive
Maybe he’s speaking in tongues!🤪
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Good one.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
It seems to me that it would be hard to speak in anything but gibberish (talking in tongues) while someone is biting his tongue.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
As young people look at the behavior of religious people they are discussed and want nothing to do with religion.
In the name of God, who would want anything to do with a man that tells a young boy to suck my tongue. - Discussing and unsanitary.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
Douglas, maybe you just haven't tried the right tongue yet. And you could carry a bottle of mouthwash with you, especially when hanging out with Tibetan priests. And make sure you always tell them first "I'll suck your tongue, if you'll first rinse out your mouth with this mouthwash.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Sorry I don't hang out with priests of any kind so don't call me racist. I only use mouthwash right before my dentist sticks her hands in my mouth.
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
Douglas, does your dentist lick her fingers when she's through. If so, that could be a good indication that she'd like to suck your tongue too.
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Dr. Zerpersande, NSC
Learn to spell ‘disgusting’.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
@Dr. Zerpersande Why? With nearly 60 percent of Americans partially or fully illiterate does it matter? For the past 25 years American schools have not been teaching students how to read, only memorize and guess. Glad to see you are not one of them.
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Dr. Zerpersande, NSC
First article that comes up says 21% are illiterate. 54% are at 6th grade or lower. I don’t know if that ends up supporting your 60% figure but it sure as hell explains where all those Trump supporters are coming from!
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Rev. Dr. Father JJ
So now we know that sticking one's tongue out as a greeting is in fact a tibetan greeting, how much else do we know about tibetan culture? I watched the video and to my astonishment there wasn't a single 'gasp', or cry of outrage, instead we heard chuckles of laughter. Everyone there seem to see the humor in the dali lama's comment. I am not tibetan and know nothing of the culture but it appeared as if the comment was a cultural inside joke of some sort. While certainly an odd thing to hear to western ears (in that context) there appeared to be absolutely nothing insidious or malign about the comment or the incident.
Now of course there are plenty of westerners, more than enough in the US to see sexual predation everywhere, especially within the democratic party (as claimed by many experts in the republican party and who better to recognize sexual predation and pedophilia than those of the republican party?) But one thing seems amiss: this incident occurred in public, surrounded by a large group of people and recorded on video and even republicans aren't brazen enough to attempt to molest a child in such an environment so why is it that people have immediately, automatically gone to the accusation of pedophilia? Confirmation bias? Or something else?
There is one alternate idea floating around out there and that is that this blowup has been engineered by china. china want's nothing more than to occupy tibet, they do not recognize the dali lama and china has been shown to be quite the mischief, global malignancy. They have no shame, and see everything in long horizons. The video is clear what happened, but the claims of what it all means is something else and I suspect that china is pushing the narrative of pedophilia to achieve it's goals of acquiring tibet.
Once accused of a misdeed, especially something so horrible as pedophilia, the accused is immediately pushed back on their heels and it's nothing but a game of defense at that point. Any argument to the contrary is drowned out by the cries of righteous indignation, often with an ax or two to grind. And in the case of the dali lama, perhaps he decided it was better to offer an apology and move on rather than attempt to defend his actions?
But ask yourselves this: for so long as he has been the dali lama, have there ever been accusations against the dali lama? And secondly, who stands to gain by fanning the flames of accusation, misdeed and sexual predation?
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Dr. Zerpersande, NSC
Agree with the sentiment behind your entire comment, but especially the point about everyone laughing. That didn’t seem to be nervous laughter, but a sincere, healthy laugh.
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Timothy Newell
And [Elijah] stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. - [1Kings 17:21]
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
Yeah, Elijah was a weirdo, wasn't he? I bet he was a tongue sucker too.
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Rev Mark D
!!!
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Mark Stricklett
Sounds like he had a brain fart!
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Lillian Sanchez
The Dalai Lama slipped and displayed a disgusting act of pedophilia to the world. I am sorry, but this, I am sure, has always been a practice for him.
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Samuel Grant Harrington
All hail the high and mighty Lillian Sanchez
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Stephen Jack Miller
I had a long comment that seems to have vanished, but after reading more of these posts I am glad it did. There is so much hate in this thread and that's not the path of any religion. The majority of you should be ashamed of your blatant hate.
So you disagree or don't understand with what happened, as typical human behavior dictates your ignorance manifests itself as hatred and anger. Sadly this is also the behavior of many old world primates ( difference between new and old world is the thumb btw ). The only thing ya'll haven't done is start tossing leaves and branches and beating on your chest... or is that what your posts are mimicking ???
Even as I write this post, at the bottom of this page is a statement "We are all children of the same universe". Regardless of faith, nothing good has ever come from hatred. Am I passing judgement ??? No, that's not for me to do, but I am able to point out the flaws in your path in hopes that you may reconsider your position and put down your torches and pitchforks and quit trying to burn his Holiness at the stake so to speak.
And you call yourselves ministers....
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James
A bunch of hullabaloo over nothing. As a survivor of horrific childhood sexual, mental and emotional abuse, this is not any kind of abuse at all.
It's public, the crowd is not upset, the child does not seem upset and I'm sure his apology (which he absolutely should not have done because it makes him seem guilty of something) was pushed for by public relations people. You know, like the bud light VP.
This all sounds like clueless, ignorant people spouting off. You know, we all don't have enough to be offended by , so let's jump on the offended bandwagon.
By downing on this incident people can make themselves feel better about all the less then appealing things they do in their own lives. We all love our indignancy.
In a world that turns a blind eye to child sex trafficking, this is what we get upset about ?
This is an obvious attempt to discredit a man in the West's eyes and gain an ally in his attempted demise.
What better way to get the ignorant majority upset than by screaming child abuse and pointing a finger?
My 2 cents
Peace
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Mary
"Eat My Tongue" The Tibetan Phrade "Che Le Sa" A key point is missing; In the Tibetan culture, it is common to see the old grandparents not only give a pop kiss to the small children but also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths - directly mouth to mouth. This may not be the norm of YOUR culture but thus is commonly done in others. After the elder gives a pop kiss and a candy, since there is nothing left in their mouth, nothing left to give, they will say the phrase, "Ok, now 'eat my tongue'" (not 'suck',' as His Holiness misspoke due to his less proficient English). The Tibetan phrase is "Che le sa". They say that as in "I've given you all my love and the candy so that's it - all that's left to do is eat my tongue. And it is a playful thing that the children know unlike most commenting who never leave their box. This is not really done in the Lhasa region (capital of Tibet) so much. but it is more common in the Amdo region (where HH is from). However, it is definitely a Tibetan custom. Once you are now learning about! If we are honest with ourselves, we know that when we form an opinion on any topic without considering many aspects of the context in any given situation, we are choosing to keep a significant degree of ignorance in our reasoning. Now maybe you have learned something new today.
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Douglas Schickinger
May be Tibetan custom, but we are not all Tibetan. I view it as disgusting !
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Samuel Grant Harrington
You can view it however you want, chances are you do many things that would disgust the Tibetans without batting an eye every day.
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Ellen B. Wentzel
This is an example of trouble/negativity with us all. Any little thing is blown out of proportion. I say "live and let live." Worry about the things that are bad, as guns in the US particularly. Otherwise, "love one another."
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Rev Mark D
How come there is no provision for these guys, like popes and other lifelong heads of churches once appointed, for retirement for infirmity? The point was extremely well made by a South Park episode depicting the pope, I think the episode was titled "red hot Christian love" and it's about 14 years ago 15 years ago. Everybody else has their limits, Prince Andrew and people like that.
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Rev Mark D
For that matter, why don't we have it with Supreme Court Justices?
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Carl Bernard Elfstrom
Mark, I can't see the supreme court justices sucking on each others tongues, but I could be wrong, so go ahead and suggest it to them. Just make sure you aren't a defendant in the court of the one you suggest it to.
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Sean Nettles
I think Everyone should just pray and keep strong there faith God is in Control
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Lionheart
First off, the efficacy of prayer (talking to a wall, floor, or ceiling) has shown to be nonexistent, and to be of no benefit whatsoever from the many tests that have been performed since 1872. Secondly, which mythical god are you thinking is in control? 🤷🏼
Just asking for a Hare Krishna friend of mine that firmly believes his is.
🦁❤️
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Dr. Zerpersande, NSC
Yeah, YOUR religion will take care of everything, right?
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Lionheart
Do you have any demonstrable proof to your claim? For a start, we don’t really know which one you are talking about.
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Rev. B
My guess is that he is talking about Zeus.
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Gloreen Andersen
God is exposing the predators for who they are! Child sex trafficking and trading is the biggest profitable business in the world held by the rich, famous, politicians and elites. tens of thousands of children are stolen for this trade and many are born into it from the childre who are being held in cages all over the world. This cant be denied anymore and the exposure must continue to save the children, Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' ”
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Christine
Gloreen this sounds like something a groomer would say to recruit for the Christian pedophiles in power. Groomer Andersen, you should think long and hard about what you are doing to kids. Shame on you.
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Michael Hunt
Man, this whole situation really sucks. The Dalai Lama is going to take a really licking for this. His jokes would be better if he kept them tongue-in-cheek.
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Roberto A Rodriguez
Well, this will be a tough one to get out of, especially when revered as holy. Not too many folks around the world see this as funny or cute or in any way loving or affectionate. Maybe the Dalai Lama is getting Alzheimer’s or dementia and is not all in control any more. Yes, as a father, grandparent and now great grandparent, we give little pecks to our little babies as we hold them. But once they begin to walk and grow, the kisses are more on top of the head or forehead, not tongue action needed. I have always been amazed by men's adoration for young boys, we've seen it in historical art and as taboo in many cultures. But really, we need to let children grow in their own manner and let their sexuality develop at their own pace and through life occurrences, adults do not need to physically assist children in this subject. I mention that it amazes me because my mom was a singer and dancer in variety theaters on Mexico City. Being backstage with her, I met many Mexican Stars as well as all the male dancers. Some would pick-up & carry my Mon with one hand by her crotch when she performed. Several of the male dancers were gay and not one ever said anything sexual to me or touched me, in fact they were well mannered and treated me with the utmost respect. I would see some of these dancers at parties dressed in drag (it was difficult to recognize them, because they would go all out), my mom was not bothered by them and actually used the experience to educate me on homosexuality and cross dressing. And, yes some of the female dancers were gay as well & that too, she educated me. I grew up to be a heterosexual, who loves and admires women from all over the World. Yet, some of the men backstage (managers & producers) in suits, very macho, smoking cigars, who would slap some of the girls’ behinds or hug them as they walked by in their sexy attire were different. Different in the sense that they would say things like I had cute legs (when I was in shorts) or tell me I had a nice round butt, mind you I was around 5-9 years old during these times, which blew me away and would make me think like 'what the hell?'. So, in closing, the Dalai Lama just shows that men's affection for little boys is still in motion at all levels of humanity, regardless of title.
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Alexander Penley
As a wealthy oppressor who subjugates other Buddhists to extreme maltreatment while embracing fascism the world over and representing a return to old world Tibetan Buddhist rule which embraces slavery to the ordained caste I don't find this too relevant but, believing themself to be superior to all others? Those others include children.
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Joseph S Worley
To me the hoopla was all due to differences in cultural practices and customs. Example in America there is a thing called a wedgie which is a joking thing, chances are doing it in a different culture it would be seen in the same light as would the Japanese kancho which would be critized in other cultures as well.
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Jessica Waldron
Wedgies are a kind of bullying. They aren't funny or cute. No one wants to get one.
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Carola Laroche
It is a Tibetan cultural expression and Americans would do well to quit judging the world by their standards which seem to deteriorate in an exelerated rate. Just back from three months touring in Europe and other than a few jokes the matter was unimportant. Other worries, like war in Ukraine.
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James
A bunch of hullabaloo over nothing. As a survivor of horrific childhood sexual, mental and emotional abuse, this is not any kind of abuse at all.
It's public, the crowd is not upset, the child does not seem upset and I'm sure his apology (which he absolutely should not have done because it makes him seem guilty of something) was pushed for by public relations people. You know, like the bud light VP.
This all sounds like clueless, ignorant people spouting off. You know, we all don't have enough to be offended by , so let's jump on the offended bandwagon.
By downing on this incident people can make themselves feel better about all the less then appealing things they do in their own lives. We all love our indignancy.
In a world that turns a blind eye to child sex trafficking, this is what we get upset about ?
This is an obvious attempt to discredit a man in the West's eyes and gain an ally in his attempted demise.
What better way to get the ignorant majority upset than by screaming child abuse and pointing a finger?
My 2 cents
Peace
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Mary
Can we move onto Christians eating Jesus and drinking his blood next since that's acceptable behavior? ;)
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Minister Janette Rowe
It is our responsibility as representatives of our faith, whatever that looks like to you, to learn and accept the ways of other's cultures rather than expect the other to conform to our own. My own historic cultures have been very adept at excepting other cultures. We have the genetic drive to meld our own culture with all others, by teaching others ways that other desire to learn from our beliefs and cultures. The best "conquerors" were the ones who were able to maintain the ability to respect the "conquered". Of course this is all supposition, and my take on the observations recorded by historians throughout the ages.
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Gerald Courtenaye Bliss
Tongue touching in Northwest Coast culture:
"Frog is a creature of great importance in Northwest Coast art and culture. As a creature that lives in two worlds, water and land, Frog is revered for his adaptability, knowledge, and power to traverse worlds and inhabit both natural and supernatural realms...
When shown in art as touching or sharing his tongue with another creature, Frog represents an exchange of knowledge and power."
Ref. https://www.northwesttribalart.com/symbols.html
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Perry N Nash
I bet the Thought Department is working hard along with the Altered History department to correct this misunderstanding of of our society to misinterpret that tongue sucking is perfectly acceptable and done all of the time in Tibet. How did we ever get here? For something as common as Tongue Sucking is in Tibet; surely we are a misinformed and shameful example of what misinterpretation of cultural norms can do to denigrate an otherwise normal and calming practice. Poor Dhali, nobody understands you. Perhaps you should vote democrat next time. Now they have to change everything. LBTGHQ+@S+DHali
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Perry N Nash
and the Lord said, "it is not good that man should be alone."
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Lionheart
How do you know that’s what your Lord said? Did you read it somewhere?
🦁❤️
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Perry N Nash
)Of course I read it somewhere; Our Good Book
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Lionheart
Ohhh! Ok. Is your “Good Book” the one where that god character killed those babies, didn’t condemn slavery, and also drowned nearly everyone on earth? If it is, I think I’ll pass on reading it, but thanks for your comment.
🦁❤️
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Daniel Todd Kamm
There are many cultures where non-sexual kissing is standard. There are many cultures where displaying the tongue, kissing with the tongue, conveying blessings and religious secrets with the tongue, lips, etc. are nothing new. Most of these traditions have been around far longer than the modern western religious traditions which focus on false intellect, animal or human suffering or sacrifice, death, blood, and which, while far removed from the reality of consuming flesh or drinking blood is done by proxy via some form of bread or grape...?
I'd rather be kissed, even a "French Kiss" from the Dalai Lama than deal with imagining someone's body, blood, etc. going down my throat.
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Craig Howell
When we represent ourselves as “leaders” especially in the spiritual arena isn’t it our responsibility to avoid any offensive behavior even if it is “normal” where we’re from.
Leadership demands that we live circumspectly among people at all times.
I study the habits and culture of the people I am traveling to minister too.
The purpose is to avoid doing anything that might distract from the message.
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Najah P Tamargo
Minster Najah P. Tamargo
Society bases their opinions on THEIR OWN belief systems. You cannot criticize another culture unless you know about it. Sadly, here in America, that is not the case. I believe that ALL cultures have their own value systems and just because they do not fit into the current norms in the USA, and other places, it does NOT MAKE THEM WRONG. Before people pass opinions, they should pick up some books, read them, understand them, then make a decision. One example: in Indigenous cultures of our own country (USA) if you attend a public event and POINT at something or someone with your finger, it is considered rude and disrespectful. Instead you use your head and nod in the direction of the person or object you are referring to. All I am saying is that if you are uneducated in another culture, you should keep your opinions to yourself.
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Donna J Enneking
While other cultural traditions should be respected, in a world of COVID, a greeting of this kind could prove to be dangerous.
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Royal Spurger
To much these days, gets blown away out of proportion. From small things like this. So many judges " doing God's works" judging their neighbors in the name of God or the church. Exactly why I became a minister to offer an alternative place to worship and not be judged.
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ServantOfJudgement
Culture is our operating system. Don't click the "Young boy sucks old guy's tongue" patch, it's glitchy.
Not every culture is as thoroughly obsessed with sexuality as America. I'd like to hear what the folks in Dharamsala think. I knew what all you so-called "ministers" would say as soon as I saw the headline. BTW, Who Would Jesus Hate?
"Eat My Tongue" The Tibetan Phrade "Che Le Sa" A key point is missing; In the Tibetan culture, it is common to see the old grandparents not only give a pop kiss to the small children but also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths - directly mouth to mouth. This may not be the norm of YOUR culture but thus is commonly done in others. After the elder gives a pop kiss and a candy, since there is nothing left in their mouth, nothing left to give, they will say the phrase, "Ok, now 'eat my tongue'" (not 'suck',' as His Holiness misspoke due to his less proficient English). The Tibetan phrase is "Che le sa". They say that as in "I've given you all my love and the candy so that's it - all that's left to do is eat my tongue. And it is a playful thing that the children know unlike most commenting who never leave their box. This is not really done in the Lhasa region (capital of Tibet) so much. but it is more common in the Amdo region (where HH is from). However, it is definitely a Tibetan custom. Once you are now learning about! If we are honest with ourselves, we know that when we form an opinion on any topic without considering many aspects of the context in any given situation, we are choosing to keep a significant degree of ignorance in our reasoning. Now maybe you have learned something new today.
Thank you for explaining this. I feel relieved to have an understanding of the culture that produces this behavior. I hope he doesn’t do this again because of the uproar. But I have lost no respect for this great man.
His holliness, all these years, has been beyond reproach. I knew there was a reason for the action or 'invitation', but did not know what it was. Now it makes sense, given the culture and the historical use of the exchange.
Thanks for explaining this unusual (to us in the West) custom. Hopefully, folks can now get their minds out of the gutter, and spread some positivity in the world.
I should point out while Jesus is being brought up that most christians consider it ok to eat his flesh and drink his blood and that's acceptible.
Actually, the doctrine of transubstantiation is unique to Roman Catholics. Most Christian denominations consider the bread and wine communion to be a communal meal like the Passover seder, not a cannibal feast. But your point stands. Every culture has unique customs, and we should try to understand before judging.
Very good point.
Having been exposed to many cultures in my half a century on this planet, I can never say I've seen it or experienced it all... one of the many joys in life is the fact that there is always something new to see or learn about and this is another example. Doing some independent research following this from the beginning you can search the net to find several instances of such "odd" behaviors.
One reference from over 200 years ago mentions this action as a means of transferring holy power to those in need. While it might seem absurd to those who have a "normal lock" on the world, we need to be open to new things and before chastising his Holiness, perhaps ask him why he did it. Having followed his Holiness for quite some time I've learned he does a lot of weird things from time to time that we don't exactly understand.
By "normal lock" I am referring to what a person perceives as normal and refuses to accept anything outside of that belief no matter what facts, truths, scriptures, or what not you provide them.
While different than asking someone to suck their tongue, I had an opportunity last week to help an elderly woman. I listened to her problems and I told her to get a friend to walk with her into the woods and find a spot to sit down and just relax, and listen. She came back the next day with her friend and told me that God has spoken to her which set her mind and heart at ease and she heartily thanked me. Her friend said that the leaves around them were rustling this whole time they were sitting down together.
They both asked me what made me tell her to go sit in the woods and listen. I explained that I am open faith and many many times I can see where one faith can help another like this instance. At first she seemed cross then asked me if that meant she was a witch now, and I told her no, it means you went out somewhere away from all the hustle and bustle to receive the word of God. She then told me that her pastor had simply told her to go home and pray but she still seemed stressed. Getting her out and away from everything, regardless of faith, did the trick and she had a moment. Did she understand it all ?? Probably not, did it work and restore her faith ?? apparently yes.
We need to be open to the ever changing world, his Holiness is among the first to be as publicly visible as he is. I find it very interesting that he openly embraces the internet and does video chats and seminars. Those before him were quite recluse and those who came into contact with them, rarely spoke about their experiences so who knows for sure if this was the first time he or those before him have done this.
So put down the torches and pitchforks, we have all learned something new and there's no need to burn him at the stake. Enjoy the new knowledge, explore it, do some research, add it to your mental library.
Tongue Touching in Northwest Cosat Cultuire: "Frog is a creature of great importance in Northwest Coast art and culture. As a creature that lives in two worlds, water and land, Frog is revered for his adaptability, knowledge and power to traverse worlds and inhabit both natural and supernatural realms. Frogs are primary spirit helpers of shamans. A great communicator, Frog often represents the common ground or voice of the people...
When shown in art as touching or sharing his tongue with another creature, Frog represents an exchange of knowledge and power."
Ref. https://www.northwesttribalart.com/symbols.html
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