Toronto's Tibetan community says nothing 'abnormal' about controversial Dalai Lama video

Members of Toronto's Tibetan community say they have been suffering for weeks since a video circulated showing the Dalai Lama kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to "suck my tongue." 

Nyila Tsedon, a Tibetan in exile who has lived in Toronto since 2004, says she's been deeply impacted by the criticism that has been levied at the spiritual leader. 

She said it pains her that the world has misunderstood what she believes is an innocent interaction.

"I am so sad. I feel like crying and I'm real shocked," Tsedon told CBC Toronto. "I hate that video. Dalai Lama is very innocent, playful, very compassionate."

At a public event in India on Feb. 28, a young boy approached the Dalai Lama, 87, and asked for a hug.

That's when the controversial interaction took place. At the time, video of the entire event was published online. But in early April, a clip containing only the interaction began circulating. That was followed by a social media firestorm condemning the exchange as inappropriate, which was widely reported on in the media, including by CBC News.

The Dalai Lama later issued an apology on his website "to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world." The statement said the spiritual leader regretted the incident, but "often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way."

Many Tibetans who spoke to CBC News say the controversy is the result of a cultural misunderstanding and that mainstream media need to do better when reporting on topics of cultural sensitivity.

Local community organizer Sonam Chokey also underscored the Dalai Lama's innocence.. 

"His Holiness was showing his warmth towards this young boy," she said, explaining that in Tibetan culture, interactions like this are a form of good-natured teasing and common between elders and children. 

Chokey also explained that the phrase "eat my tongue" is often used in these interactions and said the Dalai Lama likely mistranslated the phrase due to his broken English. 

"I really do understand why the world first reacted the way they did," she added. "Child abuse, especially coming from powerful people, powerful institutions, people from religious institutions — we know there's decades of abuse that have been recorded."

But she maintained this interaction was not an example of abuse. 

Chemi Lhamo, another Toronto-based community organizer of Tibetan descent, told CBC Toronto when the interaction took place, no one in the Tibetan community questioned it.