Dalai Lama faces backlash for kissing child on the lips and asking him to "suck his tongue"

A video of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has caused widespread controversy after he was seen kissing a young boy on the lips and then asking him to "suck his tongue".

The incident was captured on camera and quickly circulated on social media, with many netizens expressing shock and disgust. The clip shows the Dalai Lama kissing the child after he approached the spiritual leader to pay his respects. Seconds later, the leader sticks out his tongue and makes the request to the young boy, while people in the background can be heard laughing.

Since the video's circulation, netizens have expressed their outrage, with some calling for further scrutiny of the incident. Others have questioned whether the act is related to Tibetan culture or if there is a religious rationale for it. However, this is not the first time that the Dalai Lama has caused controversy, having previously caused uproar in 2019 when he stated that if a woman were to succeed him, she should be "attractive".