Tibet Support Group Explains Dalai Lama’s Gesture in Controversial Video

The Tibet Support Group clarified in a statement this Wednesday that the controversial video of the Dalai Lama asking an Indian boy to suck his tongue is poorly translated and culturally out of context.

The organization begins by explaining that the interaction between the Dalai Lama and the child was twofold. At the beginning of the event, the child offers the Dalai Lama some gifts, touches the feet of the spiritual leader, which would be “a traditional Indian gesture of respect”, and listens to his advice, ending the communication. with a hug. At the end of the event, the child asks the Dalai Lama to give him another hug, which the Tibet Support Group says is not common.

“At this point, the S.S. Dalai Lama was then referring to something that was issued and translated from English as ‘suck’, but which, to a Tibetan-understanding listener, was actually meant by S.S. as ‘i dza’ (“ dza, a Tibetan word pronounced ‘sa’ meaning eat) or ‘and eat’, followed by the word ‘tongue’ in English,” the organization said in a statement.

The group also argues that the cultural context is very important in understanding this action by the Tibetan spiritual leader, as it is normal in Tibetan culture for grandparents to kiss young children, in addition to giving them “candy or a piece of food.” out of their mouth, straight from one mouth to another.”

“After grandparents kissed you and treated you to sweets, and when there was nothing left in your mouth, there was nothing to give, they will say the phrase: “Now eat my tongue.” The Tibetan phrase sounds like “Che le sa”. and has the following meaning: “I gave you all my love and candy, and now all that’s left is to eat my tongue,” the group explained in a statement.

The group claims that the video, which has circulated on social media and sparked controversy, was “maliciously edited” and that it was widely shared on social media by Chinese Communist Party government agencies, accusing the Tibetan spiritual leader of “sexual harassment.”

“In order to understand the gesture of His Highness the Dalai Lama, we must have some knowledge of how he usually interacts with the public, what words he uses and what actions he takes,” the organization said, adding that the testimony of the child and his family is a fundamental family about the moments they spent with the Dalai Lama.

Following the controversy surrounding the video, the child’s parents sent a letter to the spiritual leader’s office apologizing for the incident and “reaffirming that their faith and respect for His Holiness remains unchanged.”