Too big to fail?

One of the Buddhist teachings I received (or perhaps read) early on tried to explain the relativity of things rather playfully: the corpse of Chinese chairman Mao could inspire at the same time and to different beings the greatest love and sadness for his loss, the greatest hate and joy because of his riddance, or simply being experienced as food for flies and maggots.

The initial offensive "pedophile" viral after the Dalai-lama's “suck-my-tongue” incident was first followed by a defensive Tibetan viral of everything that the Dalai-lama stood for with an explanation of the Amdo grandfathers’ "Eat my tongue" custom... Then came the various declarations by groups of Tibetologists/academics or individual academics in the anthropological field about the importance of cultural context, and finally by children’s rights or abuse survivor instances.

According to the Dalaï-lama’s biography on his website (www.dalailama.com), he is simultaneously “a simple Buddhist monk” and “the spiritual leader of Tibet”. Until march 2011, the Dalai-lama was also the political leader of the Tibetan people. Since 1959 he had been both the religious and political leader of Tibetans in exile. Whatever his real power, he was certainly seen as the symbol of the Tibetan people and their resistance against the Chinese occupation. After his Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989, he has also become a global figurehead for world peace and a spokesman for compassion, religious tolerance, and gave signs of being in favour of a certainse cularisation of human ethics. Through his many declarations about universally shared human values he became a known and popular influencer in the West, for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

As a media-savvy teacher, the Dalai-lama had two groups of students, Tibetan people in occupied Tibet, in exile or the Tibetan diaspora, and Western converts or sympathizers who felt inspired by his Western compatible wisdom and may have seen themselves as students from a distance of a media-savvy global Buddhist teacher. Of course, Tibetan students may also have felt inspired by the Dalaï-lama’s Western compatible wisdom, and Western students may have received blessings, vow, initiations etc. from the Dalai-lama. Both may see the Dalai-lama as a skillful teacher, capable of teaching in the most traditional and in more contemporary ways. At different times, the Dalai-lama may have disappointed (or enchanted) one category or the other, not to mention the disagreements about internal Tibetan affairs.

The Dalai-Lama as Kālacakra (from: Man of Peace)

In spite of his withdrawal in 2011, the Dalai-lama is still a political figure, both geopolitically as well as a Buddhist (formerly theocratic) leader. In the past he liked to present himselfas a Marxist (although not as a Leninist), but none of his actual declarations, decisions or actions seem to point in that direction. On the contrary, his resistance against “communist” China made him a welcome figurehead, and an ally and friend for many overtly anticommunist and conservative politicians and religious leaders, for whom the Dalai-lama also is an ally in their common battles against “materialism”. Both politically and religiously, the Dalai-lama is a conservative.

Buddhist sanghas and institutions have always survived and lived through the patronage of kings, emperors, merchants, traders, artisans, and this is still true today, including for Tibetan Buddhism. It’s through private money, donations, awards, grants - charity and philanthropy rather than taxes - that Buddhist institutions thrive and fund their monasteries, schools, hospitals, academic endeavors, charities etc. and may even support other charities. It’s therefore also in their own interest, and for their own survival in non-Buddhist countries, that they tend to side with the rich and the powerful, and never go against the interests of their patrons. This becomes even more complex when associated with the Tibetan cause, in a world with international laws where religion and state ought to be kept separated.

How to distinguish between the Dalai-lama as an individual, a simple monk, avatar of Avalokiteśvara, a religious leader, a tantric teacher and a (inter)national guru, a political leader, the figurehead of Tibet-Tibetan people-Tibetan Buddhism as long as he lives, the “separatist” enemy of the Chinese state etc., all in one person. Is there still an “individual” behind the Dalaï-lama, of which some aspects or individual actions could be criticized as such, without automatically implying an attack on everything that this specific Dalaï-lama is thought to represent? In Tibetan Buddhism, “sacred outlook” (tib. dag snang) is imposed on the relationship between a student and his teacher, but this is in the first place a personal and individual relationship, not a collective one. Is there some sort of collective “samaya” at work in the relation between the Dalai-lama and his people (or perhaps subjects, or the shadows thereof), that goes beyond the common sense of national identity or loyalty - in this case even more painfully so of a people (and their culture) in exile? It may seem it goes further than the loyalty of subjects towards their monarch, because there always have been “good and bad”, popular and unpopular monarchs. There also have been “good and bad”, popular and unpopular popes, and popes who, although infallible, are not beyond criticism, nor are the actions and abuse of clerics within the Catholic church. Monarchs and popes were still considered individuals, replaced by other individuals. Not avatars and reincarnated saints. If faith, devotion and sacred outlook are the crux of the Tibetan Buddhist practice, then there is not much of an “individual” left to criticize in the deeds and actions of reincarnated hierarchical clerics. Any criticism then becomes an attack on the institution, and at the same time an exposure of one’s own defective practice of one’s faith, devotion and sacred outlook as a Buddhist.

Even if the current Dalai-lama wouldn't have seemed such a friendly, smiling and sympathetic person, one expects that it’s not about anything individual, and probably not even about the office of a Dalaï-lama (there could be no next Dalaï-lama…), but rather about the Tibetan people as a whole, that “stands with the Dalai-lama”. The Dalai-lama apologized for his inappropriate words “suck my tongue”. Not for the gesture. But the many interpretations that followed made the apology totally unnecessary.

A rather idiosyncratic “custom” from the Tibetan region Amdo has been put forward as the right interpretation of the Dalai-lama’s word and gesture. It would be unfair, scandalous etc. to watch the scene and interpret it otherwise than with this obscure Amdo “custom” in mind. Why didn’t the Dalai-lama and the Office of the Dalai-lama think of this custom, apparently so obvious to Tibetans and Tibetologists, or simply mention it in the apology? Those who misinterpreted the gesture would even owe an apology to the Dalai-lama… Regardless of the real possibility that the Dalai-lama indeed is wise, beyond saṃsāra (Penpa Tsering), compassionate and incapable of inflicting any harm to anyone, it seems to be more the case of the Dalaï-lama, or a Dalaï-lama, being incapable of flaws and mistakes per definition. Also added to this because he is a refugee and refugees are not allowed to make mistakes. The very thought of the possibility of the Dalai-lama making a mistake seems already like going too far, or going against the injunction of some sort of sacred outlook, combined with a deeply felt solidarity and loyalty among refugees. How can a healthy democracy exist in such a situation?

“New struggles. -- After Buddha was dead, they still showed his shadow in a cave for centuries -- a colossal, horrible shadow. God is dead, but given the way people are, there may still be caves for millennia in which his shadow is displayed. -- And we -- we must still defeat his shadow as well!”― Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science

A couple of examples, some more recent than others.

Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the second democratically elected Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration in India took the defense of the Dalai-lama (Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in Delhi on April 13, 2023).

“For God’s sake His Holiness is 87 years old. He’s going to be 88. And he lived a monk’s life under oath of celibacy over the last 87 years.” [Because of his age he needs to be supported from both sides. And you want to accuse an 87-year 88-year old man with this kind of libel?]
“Forget about the sensorial pleasures. He does not derive any pleasures from sensory. You always talk about deeper understanding, to redeem oneself from Samsara. So he is beyond the sensorial pleasures,” he added.” (The Daily Guardian, April 14th 2023)

How would a democratic Justice system judge clerics reputedly redeemed from Samsara and beyond the sensorial pleasures ?

Tweet by Tenam 22042023

On April 22th 2023, Pema Khandu, the Chief Minister (and son of the former Chief Minister) of Arnunachal Pradesh, met with the Dalaï-lama and prostrated himself in front of him. As often, the Dalai-lama seems to gesture to him not to bother, but do Buddhist members of parliament, ministers etc. do indeed have the political power to not follow the official etiquette?

When the former Sikyong, Lobsang Sangay, was still in power ( from 2011 to 2012), Samdhong Rinpoche had warned him “You can make any changes as head of the Tibetan cabinet. But if you make any error, no matter how small it is, in your efforts to promote Middle-Way, I will come to your office with a stick.” (Why I won’t vote in the Final Sikyong Election, Choenyi Woser, Phayul.com, March 1st 2016).

Screencapture (April 1st 2016, video FB Lhagotsang no longer available)

On April 1st 2016, Lobsang Sangay et Penpa Tsering were both invited at an audience with the State Oracle of the Dalaï-lama, Nechung Choegyal and with Tsering Chenga, where they got scolded by the State Oracle who threw barley at them (Asia News, The Oracle of Tibet throws barley at politicians: Corrupt and unfair 04/05/2016).

“In the Official letter on the prophecy, the Oracle "condemns the “mishandling of the gift of democracy” besides the violation of the oaths taken by both Sikyong and the Speaker. The letter warned that the mismanagements could lead to negative consequences on His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s health and life and directed the two to offer apology to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay paying obeisance to state oracle Nechung”
(Photo/Tenzin Jigme/CTA)

Another article in Tibet.Net (June 12 2019), mentions the audience as an annual ceremony for the Central Tibetan Administration “to pay respect and gratitude to Nechung, a key state oracle of the Central Tibetan Administration”, and publishes pictures, amongst which “CTA President Dr Lobsang Sangay paying obeisance to state oracle Nechung” (Photo/Tenzin Jigme/CTA)

These events took/take place after the withdrawal from power of the Dalai-lama in 2011. It is understandable that a people in exile is attached to the preservation of their culture, even a theocratic one, whilst sincerely trying to establish a democratically elected local government. Democracy, freedom of speech and critical thinking were thought as universal values to be applied all over all the world, but reincarnated saints or clerics and oracles certainly don’t make it easier. Especially when these values are seen as "Western values"...

I end with the last box of a short comics published as a tweet by "Official Twitter Account of China Human Rights Website" (中国人权网)... (sic!) on April 24th 2023. A quick look at the other tweets shows that the China Human Rights Website is not really bothered by Human Rights, but mostly by posting (before April 18th) anti-American tweets, memes etc., the Dalai-lama being considered as a USA agent. But the last box shows in my own experience and opinion how the incident is likely to be viewed by “uninformed” young teenagers of different origins (probably even including “uninformed” teenagers of Tibetan origin), no matter how the 2-minute sequence is cut, cropped etc., and regardless of the Amdo custom hindsight. Something is not right here, is it possible to discuss and determine what exactly?

Detail tweet "Official Twitter Account of China Human Rights Website"

I think the following articles are a good start

Dalai Lama Row: Consent, Body Boundaries And Respect, by Anushree Joshi (Feminism in India, April 19th 2023)

The Dalai Lama ‘Incident’: How Not To Respond To A Troubling Sexual Situation With A Child, by David Clohessy (Religion Unplugged, April 25th 2023)

The series What On Earth Is Wrong With The Dalai Lama? – Part 1, Rob Hogendoorn, Open Buddhism  

Ma réaction à l'article de Raphaël Liogier dans Le Monde

Raphaël Liogier, sociologue, philosophe, et professeur des universités à Science Po à Aix-enProvence a publié sa réaction à “l’affaire de ‘la langue du dalaï-lama’ “ dans le Monde du 23 avril 2023 sous le titre “La perte du sens de la gravité dans ‘l’affaire de la langue’ du dalaï-lama est choquante et impudique”.

Je suis globalement d’accord avec les quatre remarques de l’auteur, mais avec parfois quelques nuances importantes. Mes réserves quant au Dalai-lama vont plus loin que celles de l’auteur.

Comme l’auteur ne semble pas tout connaître du contexte de l’événement à Dharamsala, je veux apporter quelques précisions au déroulement de la rencontre avec le garçon. Celui-ci est fils de la directrice de la M3M Foundation, Dr. Payal Kanodia, et le petit-fils du PDG et fondateur du M3M Group, Basant Bansal, tous présents à l’événement, puisqu’il s’agissait d’une rencontre organisée avec 120 diplômés d’un des projets de la fondation. Au début de la rencontre, le garçon avait été commissionné par sa mère, Dr. Payal Kanodia, pour offrir un cadeau au Dalai-lama. L’incident "viral" s’était produit à un autre moment, à la fin de l’événement. Il ne s’agit donc pas d’un garçon dont le Dalai-lama serait “l’idole”[1], et qu’il rencontra comme l'aboutissement d'un rêve. L’acte du Dalai-lama était en effet au minimum un acte inapproprié, et il s'en est d’ailleurs excusé.

Pour la première remarque, la viralité remplace la réflexivité, j’ajouterai que cela peut être vrai aussi pour des réactions positives, qui elles aussi peuvent révéler un manque de réflexivité parmi les internautes.

La deuxième remarque, que la viralité révèle le manque de réflexivité des internautes, et qu’elle produit ainsi de la désinformation intentionnelle ou non, peut s’appliquer également à la viralité de réactions positives. C’est le manque de réflexivité qui semble être le dénominateur commun des réactions virales, négatives comme positives. Dans ce cas précis, en dehors des réactions plus pondérées, la grande majorité des réactions étaient sans doute, en effet, le résultat de campagnes de désinformation et de manipulation.

Le Dalai-lama est connu pour ses facéties, mais celle à laquelle réfère l’auteur n’a cependant pas été présentée correctement.

“ Celui-ci a ainsi déclaré à diverses reprises, a ainsi déclaré à diverses reprises, afin d’agacer les autorités de Pékin, qu’il pourrait bien se réincarner en « blonde » ; autrement dit, non seulement en femme, mais en Occidentale. ”

Face à Karl Stefanovic de Today (Autsralie) le 14 juin 2013 

Les fois[2] où le Dalai-lama avait répondu qu’il pouvait se réincarner “en femme”, pas en blonde, ou en “blonde”, il avait précisé qu’elle devait avoir un beau visage. Le Dalai-lama avait expliqué au journaliste Karl Stefonovic qu’il y avait 8 signes requis, et qu’un des signes était la beauté extérieure. Il n’y avait aucune mention dans les deux interviews d’une “blonde” (et donc racisée, ou occidentale), ni de référence couverte ou ouverte aux autorités de Pékin.

Face à Clive Myrie de la BBC, le 21 septembre 2015 

“Une blague aux airs machistes qui prouve le décalage entre l’octogénaire et les exigences, légitimes, de notre époque. Mais en ne retenant que ça, c’est le contexte politique qui n’est plus saisi par les internautes : le dalaï-lama affirmait que sa réincarnation ne pourrait pas être trouvée sur le territoire contrôlé par la Chine.”

Face à Rajini Vaidyanathan de la BBC, le 27 juin 2019

En pointant vers son propre visage, et en précisant que toutefois le visage de la future Dalai-lama devait être beau, le Dalai-lama ne faisait aucune référence à aucun territoire spécifique.

Pas de désaccord sur le troisième et le quatrième argument. Par rapport à “l’égalisation des scandales”, j’ajouterai au fait “que des millions de femmes continuent à mourir sous les coups des hommes” partout dans le monde, qu’il y a eu aussi et qu’il y a toujours, comme dans d’autres religions (et sans se limiter aux seules religions), des cas d’abus d’adultes et d’enfants dans le cadre du bouddhisme en Occident comme ailleurs, sans aucune reconnaissance et dédommagement des victimes, et sans que des mesures soient prises au nom d’un bouddhisme global ou autre, pour éviter que ces abus se reproduisent et pour assainir le bouddhisme.

Je vous recommande à ce titre de revoir le documentaire d’Arte "Bouddhisme, la loi du silence", en français ou en anglais sous-titré.

***

[1] “ Un enfant y suit une conférence du grand lama et fait part de son rêve de s’approcher de lui. Ce dernier lui fait signe de venir sur l’estrade. L’enfant accourt, le dalaï-lama le prend dans ses bras et le taquine. Tandis qu’il veut rester plus longtemps auprès de son idole, le dalaï-lama lui dit en sortant la langue : « Suce-moi la langue. » ”

[2] Face à Karl Stefanovic, dans le programme de télé australien “Wake up with Karl and Sarah today”, le 14 juin 2013. Une autre fois face au journaliste Clive Myrie de la BBC le 21 septembre 2015. Et puis une dernière fois, face au journaliste de la BBC, Rajini Vaidyanathan, le 27 juin 2019. Suite à cette dernière entrevue, il y eut un article dans le Huffington Post (Sep 24, 2015, Updated Jun 28, 2019).

Religion as soft power?

Indian PM Modi at the Global Buddhist Summit in Delhi, April 2023  

In its history Buddhism has often been used as a “soft power”, and this is still true nowadays. After a relatively successful spread of Buddhism globally in the second half of the XXth century, including its come-back in India, the Indian government of Modi sees the interest of Global Buddhism as one of India’s “soft powers”. After all, India (and Nepal) is the area where Buddhism first appeared, its homeland so to speak. India seems to want to remind the world of this fact, perhaps especially since other nations and ethnic forms of Buddhism have tried with more or less success to use Buddhism as a soft power.

Modi’s inaugural speech[1] (20/04/2023) to the Global Buddhist Summit in Delhi was quite clear on that.

“We are going through the most challenging time today. For many months, there is a war between two nations and the world is going through economic volatility. Threats of terrorism and religious fanaticism are attacking humanity’s soul,” he said.
PM Modi added that climate change, with melting glaciers and disappearing ecosystems, was plaguing the world today. “But, at the same time, there are crores of people like you, who believe in the Buddha. This hope, this faith is the biggest strength of this earth. When this hope gets united, the Buddha’s Dhamma will become the world’s belief and Buddha’s realisation will become the belief of humanity.” (The Indian Express, Buddhist faith biggest strength in times of war, economic crisis, says PM Modi, April 21, 2023 02:52 IST)

Buddhism is often considered a religion of peace and harmony, respecting the ways and beliefs of others.

“Friends, today we see that the thinking of imposing one’s own thoughts and beliefs onto others is becoming a big problem for the world.” “He added that the Buddha’s teachings included that one should first look at one’s own conduct before preaching to others.” The Indian Express

“Had the world followed the teachings of Buddha, we would not even have faced a crisis like climate change. This crisis developed because some nations stopped caring about others, about the future generations in the last century. For decades, they were of the view that the effect of this tampering with nature would not affect them. Those countries blamed it on others only. But Lord Buddha has clearly said in the Dhammapada that as a water pot is filled with drop by drop, so the repeated mistakes become the cause of destruction.” (Modi’s inaugural speech)

Religions, and in this case (global) Buddhism, could help the world to free itself from the grip of materialism and selfishness.

“Today, it is very necessary that the world should come out of the definitions of materialism and selfishness and imbibe this feeling of ‘भवतु सब्ब मंगलन्’ (May all be well).” (Modi’s inaugural speech)

Dalai Lama present at the second day of the GBS

The Dalai-lama attended the Global Buddhist Summit on its second day, he was not present on the first day and at Modi’s inaugural speech.

“ Delegates from 30 countries were in attendance. The PM offered robes to 19 prominent monks from across the world, though Tibetan Buddhism leader, the Dalai Lama, was not among those who attended the event.” (Jagran, 'India Gave World Buddha Not Yuddha': PM Modi Bats For Buddhist Teachings To 'Solve Modern World Problems' 20/04/2023)

A meeting between PM Modi and the Dalai-lama would probably have displeased China. Yet, the Dalai-lama seems to have moved closer to the more traditional views of Modi, when the Dalai-lama declares:

“Sometimes I jokingly say that in times past we Tibetans were the students and you Indians were the teachers, but now, when Indian has come so much under the influence of western thought, it is we Tibetans who have kept ancient Indian knowledge and values alive.” (Buddhist Times)

How exactly does the Nobel Prize winner of 1989 see the excessive influence of western thought on India? On December, 21st 2022, the Dalai-lama declared :

”[...] ancient Indian education is fundamentally focused on the education of the mind and inner values whereas the modern/western education mainly focuses on the propagation of material or external values” (Tibet.net)

Of course there also is the “materialism” of communist China, its other neighbour, that the Dalai-lama must have in mind, when he seeks to connect the younger generation from materialism to spirituality (Tibet.net), although China itself also attempts to use Buddhism as a soft power. “Spirituality”, the Dalaï-lama, the Global Buddhist Summit and PM Modi would like the the younger generation to connect to the existing traditional Asian forms[2] of Buddhism or other traditional religions, free of “the influence of western thought” and of western values.

In a recent French book “Le Pacte des autocrates” (Isabelle Mandraud, Julien Théron), published on April 20th 2023 (Rober Laffont), the names of some autocrates are mentioned on the cover : Putin, Xi Jinping, Erdogan, Assad, Raïssi, Maduro, Modi.

"These regimes organize themselves for mutual protection, to the point of forming an 'autocratic international'. They vote together in the United Nations, cooperate on security matters, share propaganda, develop trade, supply each other with weapons, and form military alliances.”

Autocratic regimes tend to use and sometimes exacerbate the religious “roots” of their populations, in order to federate and “protect” their members against “modern”, or in their eyes degenerated, “Western” values, such as can be found in Human rights, women’s rights, democracy, social values, sexual mores, etc. and counteract these with shared propaganda. These values are then branded as “Western”, not universal, because they had been often imposed in colonialist relationships, at the expense of the traditional values and culture of the former colonized countries.

Buddhist leaders on the GBS stage

To free themselves of the influence of western countries, a return to their own respective national traditional values is proposed as the obvious solution, where the respective religious leaders are invited to give a helping hand to autocratic leaders. It is suggested the “Western” values are then substituted by more traditional ones. Democratic ones by autocratic ones, women’s rights tend to disappear, virility is revalorised, “Western” sexual mores are rejected, the rights of the individual tend to dissolve into the best interest of the nation, etc. Democracies are not necessarily free of autocratic elements and autocracies may have democratic elements, it’s more a spectrum than a clear-cut dichotomy.

When one sees footage of the GBS, it is striking that there are hardly any female Buddhists on the stage, but merely men in robes, and that seems to confirm the reality and perhaps the wish of (global) Buddhism to indeed stick to its traditional values. “The path of Buddha is the path of the future and the path of sustainability,” Modi said, what will be the role of women on that path?

Dalai Lama surrounded by members of M3M Basant Basal's family in Dharamsala

One reaction that had been shared a lot in the aftermath of the “Suck my Tongue” incident was that presented as that of “a Tibetan mother” (Tenzin Pema), who writes “you superimpose your own hypersexualised views/culture or negative experiences on everything and view every act of pure love through that lens[3]". It is not clear who is the “you” that is referred to, but the “hypersexualised views/culture” probably refers to Western views/culture, where “sexualisation” (e.g. in Freudian psychology) and critical thinking are not eschewed, including regarding “acts of true love”. They may be seen as negative, and perhaps threatening, from religious points of view, but they are as threatening to “Western” religious values as they are to “Eastern” ones. This doesn’t mean that the one needs to be eliminated in favour of the other, but their co-existence could ideally create some space and freedom.

Trump Jr
India's first Trump Tower Project by Lodha Group in Mumbai, Dec 2019

What autocrats don’t condemn is trade and they don’t object to capitalist values, even Western ones, but they may prefer to do business with other autocrats or with those who don’t mind doing business with autocrats, and won't be too concerned about Social, ethical and environmental responsibility.

"Trump Jr. flanked by Basant Bansal of M3M developers and Kalpesh Mehta of
Tribeca Developers raise a tost to celebrate the launch of Trump Towers
in Delhi NC during a gala dinner in New Delhi. (Image: PTI)

As I mentioned in my blog The builder of the 4 Indian Trump Towers and the Dalaï-lama, the family of the boy from the “Suck my tongue” incident, is the builder of the 4 Indian Trump Towers, M3M (stands for “Magnificence in the Trinity of Men, Materials & Money"), “under a brand licence from The Trump Organisation”. The M3M Group has also links with the Singh brothers[4], and the spiritual leader of one of India’s leading religious sects—the Radha Saomi Satsang Beas, guru Gurinder Singh Dhillon.

PM Modi visits Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Punjab, meets chief Dhillon (photo ANI)

President Donald Trump was not an autocrat, but the “Western values” he propagated were certainly more acceptable to entrepreneurs from autocratic-like countries he is/was in business with. Trump Jr is now leading The Trump organisation and doing business with M3M’s Basant Bansal and other Indian entrepreneurs who pride themselves of traditional values and like to display themselves with gurus, just like their PM.

But what will the “global Buddhism” of the future PM Modi is thinking of be like? And how do the Buddhist leaders listening to Modi’s speech at the GBS imagine their global Buddhism, leading the way to the world, to be like? Will it be the traditional ethnic forms of Asian Buddhism, “decolonised”, “de-orientalised” without disturbing “Western values/culture”? Or a globish Buddhism that is so out of touch with both genuine Eastern and Western values? To be frank, I don’t think that any of these two forms of Buddhism (or of any other religion) can and should lead the world forwards.

***

[1] “DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.”

[2] Le Monde diplomatique, Hindu nationalism’s global networks, Ingrid Therwath, February 2023

[3] “Because a kiss or a "po" on the lips given by elders to little children and by young children to elders is common in our culture and another sign of pure, unabashed love -- until of course, you superimpose your own hypersexualised views/culture or negative experiences on everything and view every act of pure love through that lens; in such an instance, even the sight of a grandfather kissing his own grandson will be misconstrued as "child abuse."

[4] “But they also said it would be “untrue" to suggest that the guru was a cause of their group’s financial troubles. “Malvinder and Shivinder are unequivocal about this: Mr. Dhillon is their spiritual master," the brothers wrote. “He has only ever acted out of love and has only ever had their best interests at heart."

The builder of the 4 Indian Trump Towers and the Dalai-Lama

Trump Towers in Delhi

For those who want to understand “the full picture and context” before building an opinion, there is yet another side to the story. The boy and his family. As far as the “suck my tongue” is concerned, the boy may be a victim of use/abuse or the Lucky boy that got a kiss from the Dalaï-lama, depending on one’s opinion and sympathy. 

Those who think he was a lucky boy ought to know that luck wasn’t the reason the boy got all the special attention. The boy’s family (mother, father, grandfather) is not just any family. There was a good reason for the boy to be there.

Picture with members of the Bansal family (screencapture)

The boy is the grandson of Basant Bansal the Founder Chairman of M3M Group, “the fastest growing real-estate developer in the country”. and he is the son of Basant Bansal’s daughter, Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee of the M3M Group and Director of the M3M Foundation, “the philanthropic arm of M3M India group”. “According to Hurun, the family owns 1.7 billion USD, ranks second in Delhi, 127th in India, 1975th in the world”[1] The iMpower Academy for Skills is a philanthropic project of the M3M Foundation.

Basant Basal offering traditional hat and scarf (screencapture)

On February 28th 2023, the family and a group of graduates of the iMpower Academy for Skills were invited in the yard of the Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, adjacent to the Dalaï-lama’s residence. In the Youtube video[2] of the Tibetan Times channel, Basant Bansal welcomes the Dalaï-lama, and greets him again at the beginning of the event, offering him a traditional hat and scarf. Then the mother gives the boy a gift for the Dalai-lama, who summons the boy to come up to the throne. The Dalai-lama gives the boy a hug, tickles him under his chin and then under his arm. The boy presents the gift, seems to touch the Dalai-lama’s feet out of respect, and the Dalai-lama touches heads with the boy as a blessing. He then recalls an anecdote of his elder brother Lobsang Samten Taklha (1933–1985). They used to live together and play together and sometimes they would have a problem (conflict), and fought, with the Dalai-lama using the side of his head "as a weapon", pushing his head against that of his brother. After another blessing, the boy takes leave and the event takes place. At the end of the event the boy asks again for a hug.

On the same day (February 28th 2023), the boy and his mother, as the Director of the M3M Foundation, are interviewed after the event by Voice of Tibet (VOT)[3]. The Suck my tongue viral had not taken place yet. Both speak about the chance to receive blessings from the Dalai-lama. After the viral (10/04/2023) the Office of the Dalai-lama published an apology to the boy and his family.

“A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologize 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.”

Delhi NRC-club entry Trump Tower

The M3M Group and the M3M Foundation clearly have some sort of link with the Dalaï-lama, the nature of which needs to be further determined. The name of the Group and the Foundation, M3M, stands for “Magnificence in the Trinity of Men, Materials & Money”.

“It’s an apt description for the other trinity this Delhi-based company is part of. One that involves the Singh brothers and the spiritual leader of one of India’s leading religious sects—the Radha Saomi Satsang Beas.” 

“The Bansals started their flagship company M3M India Ltd. in 2007 and have since become a leading developer of luxury residential and commercial real estate in the Gurgaon—Haryana area. They are also developing a Trump Tower in the area, at a reported cost of Rs 1,200 crore. The Singhs funded companies associated with Shabnam Dhillon—wife of their spiritual guru Gurinder Singh Dhillon. These entities, in turn, funded companies owned or associated with the Bansals, and then bought them back at astonishing valuations.” (BQ Prime, How The Singh Brothers Enriched A Builder Developing The Next Trump Towers, The link between the Singh brothers, their guru and a Trump Tower developer: Rs 1,100-crore transactions, 25 Oct 2018)

The 4th Trump Tower in India

Another article on NDTV gives further information about the link between M3M and “The Trump Organisation, led by Donald Trump Jr, son of US [ex] President Donald Trump”.

“M3M and Tribeca will develop 250 ultra luxury residences under a brand licence from The Trump Organisation, which is currently led by Donald Trump Jr, son of US President Donald Trump.
In the first phase of sale, the apartments which will have three and four bedroom options, will be sold in a price range of ₹ 5 crore to ₹ 10 crore. The size of the flats is from 3,500 sq ft to 6000 sq ft.
This is the fourth Trump Tower project in India after Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata.” (NDTV)

It’s not excluded that the boy will one day play some role in his grandfather’s Group and the “Magnificence in the Trinity of Men, Materials & Money” or in “its philanthropic arm”. Hopefully he will be able to lead a life of his own choice and this incident will remain a mere souvenir.

Bathroom Trump Tower Delhi

The Dalai-lama may disapprove of Donald Trump’s morals, but maybe not of those of his Organisation.

“Asked about the US president, whom the Tibetan spiritual leader has previously unflatteringly impersonated, he said: “His emotions [are] also a little bit,” and made a gesture waggling his finger near his temple. “One day he says something, another day he says something. But I think [there is a] lack of moral principle. When he became president, he expressed America first. That is wrong. America, they should take the global responsibility.” (Dalai Lama says Donald Trump has a 'lack of moral principle' The Guardian, June 27th 2019)

Luxury Golf Residences, Our experience, your joy

***

[1] https://www.financialexpress.com/.../dlfs-rajiv.../3039800/

[2] ༧གོང་ས་མཆོག་གིས་རྒྱ་གར་གྱི་དགེ་སློབ་ཉིས་བརྒྱ་ཙམ་ལ་བཀའ་སློབ་བསྩལ།

[3] Boy: “It was amazing meething His Holiness. I think It is a really great experience meeting someone with such high positive energy. It’s a really nice feeling meeting him, and you get a lot of that positive energy. It’s not just like that, but once you get positive energy, I think you are happier and it’s a better thing and you smile a lot more. It was a really good experience overall.”

Mother: “I am Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee, M3M Foundation and we've been working in Dharamsala on this skills center which we started last year. Since then we were seeking blessings from His Holiness. Today we got this opportunity and especially my family was there with me and all the students who graduated from iMpower were also present. We’re totally totally blessed to have got these blessings from His Holiness. He came, addressed us in person, told about peace that the world needs and how everyone needs to feel together like brothers and sisters. I absolutely can not express how I feel getting blessed by him, thank you.”

Suck my tongue

The viral video about the Dalai-lama kissing a boy gave rise to numerous reactions on social media, most of them attacking the Dalai-lama and accusing him of paedophilia, others, much rarer, trying to defend him by various means. The large majority of reactions have “QAnon” undertones with references to far-right conspiracy theories about world elite pedophiles. I will leave that particular aspect aside here. I will do the same for the geopolitical side of the Tibetan question and the Dalaï-lama’s former status as a theocratic ruler.

What remains is an incident around a charismatic religious leader and a popular global public figure (Nobel Prize of Peace) and role model for many, who when required by a boy to give a hug, first asked the boy for a kiss on the cheek, then on the mouth and then to suck his tongue. This happened in front of an audience of students and members of the M3M Foundation in the courtyard of the Dalaï-lama’s temple in Dharamsala. “Uninformed” people who watch the video tend to be shocked by what they see. I.e. uninformed about Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, the status of the Dalai-lama as a holy man, a living Buddha, the embodiment of wisdom and compassion, whose mere gaze, contact, touch etc. are considered to be blessings. Not knowing all this, they tend to see a child being used or abused in public by an authoritative religious figure.

The general reaction of Tibetans in exile tends to be in defense of the Dalaï-lama, who is seen either as a living Buddha, a holy man or a human model of wisdom, love and compassion, often smiling, humorous and sometimes teasing and cheeky. His motivations are always pure and those who see any faults in him ought to look at themselves and their biased perceptions twice.     

Western converts and sympathizers of Tibetan Buddhism (or the Tibetan cause) tend to be divided in their opinions regarding the video. The more unconditional Western converts side with the Tibetans. They may be aware of various scandals in the past involving Tibetan hierarchs, they may have read critical articles and books, watched videos and documentaries about abuse in Tibetan Buddhism, and even admit there may be some rotten apples here and there, but that Tibetan Buddhism and its clerks on the whole are above suspicion. Even more so for holy men like the Dalai-lama. Having any contact with him is considered a blessing.

Unlike more pious Buddhists, other Western converts may consider the clerks of Tibetan Buddhism foremost as mortal men of flesh and blood, with their qualities and faults. They may disapprove of this specific action of the Dalai-lama, but still have faith in him and in Tibetan Buddhism, in spite of the various incidents and scandals. Some of them seem to think that due to his advanced age, the Dalai-lama may show signs of senility or dementia, which is a real possibility. This could partly explain his for the least surprising behavior, because they do think it was surprising and unlike his old self. 

One of the arguments put forwarth by Tibetans in exile points to cultural differences and lack of knowledge of Tibetan culture and customs. There is the old Tibetan tradition of sticking out one’s tongue (lce bsnar/rkyang) as a greeting. Tibetans in exile don’t use this way of greeting each other, they also don’t tend to greet each other through kissing each other on the cheek or on the mouth, not to mention sucking their tongues.

One explanation, that is also popular among some Western converts, is the one given by Jigme, a Tibetan living in the USA.

Jigme

“[5:02] In our Tibetan culture our elders, especially our grandparents, who really didn't have much to give or offer, would affectionately make fun of a child, when they asked for something. A child could ask them for a candy or some pocket change, and the Elder would lovingly barter for affection and then trap you with a joke or a riddle. (‘gram du ‘o byas cig dang po) First give me a kiss on my cheek. (dbu gtug dgos) I need you to touch your forehead on my forehead. (sna gtug dgos) let's touch our noses. (da ‘o cig dgos) Give me a kiss. (Da nga’i lce leb bza’) Which means I gave you everything, so the only thing left for me, is for you to eat my tongue. So the child probably never gets the candy or money, but gets a beautiful lesson on life, love and family. That is exactly what His Holiness tenderly did to the child, the boy who asked for a hug. He gave him as much love, affection and kindness as one would receive from a Tibetan family.”

The Dalai-lama didn’t greet the boy in ancient Tibetan fashion (lce bsnar/rkyang), nor did he ask the boy to eat his tongue (lce bza’), for lack of giving a candy or anything else to “eat”, he asked him to suck his tongue (lce gzhib). The argument doesn’t hold, but seems to be welcomed with a certain relief by some[1].

Jigme’s video starts with his introduction and explanation of "eat my tongue" and ends with the video of the incident, so that viewers can watch the whole scene well prepared and perceive it like “a traditional Tibetan” or a well informed Westerner would see it: an elder, with not much to offer, barters his grandson for affection. When the holy tongue is shoved in the face of the boy, he initially seems to (mis)understand the Dalaï-lama’s “innocent and playful” intention, and withdraws instinctively. The Dalai-lama is not the boy’s elder or family and the scene does not take place in a modest Tibetan home, but in the Dalaï-lama’s temple in Dharamsala during an official ceremony in front of an audience, hence the camera presence before, during and after the event.

For the audience, the boy and his mother the Dalai-lama is a holy man with blessings, transmittable through a darshan, an embrace, prasad, Liberation Upon Sight, Hearing, Touching, or Taste, etc. Whatever way a holy man chooses to pass on his blessing is acceptable for the faithful, including jokes, teasing and crazy wisdom. 

The boy is one of the two sons of Dr.Payal Kanodia (the mother), “trustee of the M3M Foundation and a Director at the M3M Group, where she plays a vital role in the operation of her family's business.” After the ceremony (February, 28th 2023), mother and son were interviewed and declared they felt blessed[2]. The boy's grandfather, Basant Bansal, Founder Chairman of M3M Group, was sitting next to the Dalai-Lama. 

Jigme’s explanation about a Tibetan grandfather using the expression “eat my tongue” to his grandson, and the declarations by the boy and his mother/Trustee of the M3M Foundation after the event about the positive energy and blessings received from His Holiness are presented as the right perspective from which the footage should be viewed. There are other perspectives though.

"Child rights activist Shola Mos-Shogbamimu said we should not normalise child molestation under the garb of playful behaviour with children. This is NOT playful banter & so inappropriate to use ‘affectionately plants kiss’ alongside ‘suck my tongue’. Hugs are fine not this. Don’t normalise molestation of kids Don’t care how revered the Dalai Lama is I’m not OK with a child sucking a grown man/woman/anyone’s tongue,” (The Independent, 13/04/2023) 

Update 15042023

Other reactions have been published since.

“Kaysang, who goes by one name and is a Tibetan feminist educator in India, told VICE World News that “suck my tongue” in Tibetan is also a game for the elders to deter cheeky kids from pestering them.
“The word ‘suck’ in the Tibetan language is ‘jhip’, and this is not a word that is sexualised in our culture,” she said. “ Tibetans Explain What ‘Suck My Tongue’ Means. It’s Not What You Think.

The BBC ("Dalai Lama defended over tongue-sucking remark") quotes Penpa Tsering, head of Tibet's government-in-exile. 

"[He] has called the spiritual leader's actions "innocent" and said it demonstrated his "affectionate behaviour".On Thursday, Mr Tsering said the Dalai Lama's actions had been misinterpreted and that the controversy had hurt the sentiments of his followers.He also said that the Dalai Lama has always lived in "sanctity and celibacy" and that his years of spiritual practice had taken him "beyond the sensorial pleasures"."

A German monk, Tenzin Peljor, writes on Facebook:

"I guess the Dalai Lama has no clue what the term »suck« means from the perspective of people who are used to a sexualised language. Based on his broken, self-taught English, he might have even chosen the wrong term (instead of »eat«, as the Tibetan, Jigme la, explains in his video at minute 5*, he might have accidentally used the term »suck«.) Though this is mere speculation, it is a view that can be considered too instead of projecting only the worst."

I was unable to find any hits on the Internet for the current Tibetan expression "Eat my tongue" (lce [leb] za - in all declinations) or "Suck my tongue" (lce [leb] 'zhibs [dang] - in all declinations) in a non-sexualised sense, but that doesn't say much. The only hits are contributions after the incident (28/02/2023) mentioning this Tibetan (Amdo) tradition. The Dalai-Lama who can say in perfect English "I am a Marxist", "But not a Leninist", surely knows the difference between eat and suck.

"Suck", "eat" and "lick" can have the same sexual connotations in Tibetan as in any other language. The Dalai-Lama and other Tibetans may have read Surūpa's Kāmaśāstra in Tibetan (Tengyur: 'dod pa'i bstan bcos by slob dpon gZugs bzang), or Gedün Chöpel's "Tibetan Arts of Love" ('Dod pa'i bstan bcos), translated into English by Jeffrey Hopkins, or other Tantric scriptures on sexual yoga, such as can be found in the Kālacakra literature or elsewhere. Unlike the other forms of Buddhism, Buddhist Tantra claims that without the use of "sensorial pleasures", full awakening is impossible.

In Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism, by Lati Rinpoche, Jeffrey Hopkins, H.H. the Dalai Lama (1981), we read about the progressive arising of consciousness according to Buddhist Tantra.

"1. Desire: attachment to an object not yet attained 2. Adherence: attachment to an object attained 3. Great joy: a joyous mind upon seeing the pleasant 4. Middling joy 5. Small joy 6.  Rejoicing: pleasure due to having achieved a desired object 7. Rapture: a mind repeatedly experiencing a desired object 8. Amazement: contemplating an object that did not arise before 9. Excitement: a mind distracted through perceiving a pleasant object 10. Contentment: satisfaction with a pleasant object 11. Embracing: desiring to embrace 12. Kissing: desiring to kiss 13 Sucking: desiring to suck 14 Stability: a mind of unchanging continuum..." etc. (p. 40)

From the Tibetan Arts of Love:

"Gedun Chopel appears to have taken the Kama Sutra as a starting point and creatively molded and amplified on it.
1. mutual acknowledgment, pratibodha (phan tshun shes pa): a kiss of mutual acknowledgment as when two who were previously acquainted meet again.
2. initial kissing (dang po'i 'o): the man pinches a timid girl's ear and then kisses it and the crown of her head.
3. throbbing, sphuritaka (gul 'phrig can): a vibrating kiss on the lips.
4. sign, nimittaka (mtshan ma can). The woman rubs the man's body with her lips and tongue, thereby showing that she has engendered joy, due to which it is called a sign, a basic meaning of the Sanskrit word nimittaka. In the Kama Sutra (II.3.10) nimittaka refers to a young girl's merely touching her lover's lips but out of shyness does not suck his lips, due to which it is translated as "Limited Kiss"3 and "Nominal Kiss".What in the Kama Sutra is a kiss in shyness is a kiss of full-fledged desire for Gedun Chopel.
5. waterwheel, ghatika (chu yi 'khor lo): with cheek to nose, a kiss on the mouth, rubbing the inside of the partner's mouth with the tip of the tongue.
6. after-kiss, uttara (rjes kyi 'o): the woman kisses all over the male after (uttara) he has done so to her. In the Kama Sutra (II.3.21) uttara refers to "upper"; the woman sucks the lower lip of the man, and the man kisses the upper lip of the woman; hence, it is translated as "Upper Lip Kiss".
7. jewel-case, pitaka (sprog ma can): the male sucks and kisses the stomach of the woman lying down. 8. the last kiss, an intoxicated drinking of the emitted regenerative fluid, is unnamed. This does not appear in the Kama Sutra." (p. 69-71).

The expression "suck" with clearly sexual connotations is also found in the same work.

"7. anthers of a flower, puṣpakeśa (me tog ze ba): the tongue and the lips are sucked hard between the teeth.(p. 76)[3] 

Like many Tibetans, the Dalai-Lama may have laughed out loud when reading stories about Drukpa Kunley, The divine madman (translated into English by Keith Dowman).

"Later Pebdak asked for the Lama’s help. ‘I have had three wives of whom two died shortly after I married them. My present wife has given birth to six sons, but none of them has lived longer than three months. This year my wife gave birth to another son who is now nearly three months old. I entreat your blessings upon him, and beg you to perform a rite that will keep all destructive forces out of him.’‘What is your son’s name?’ asked the Lama. ‘Bring him here.’‘His name is Samye Guardian,’ Pebdak told him. ‘He was born healthy and intelligent.’

When Pebdak’s wife brought her son, the child immediately began to shake and tremble. ‘Stay still! Don’t be afraid!’ the Lama commanded, and he asked Pebdak to bring a black lassoo that he had seen hanging upon a pillar. He put the noose round the child’s neck as it lay in its mother’s lap and said, ‘If you don’t lick my cock today [tib. khyod mje 'dags ma bcug na], my name isn’t Drukpa Kunley! Now down to the river!’ Dragging the child behind him with the lassoo, followed by the parents wailing, swallowing dust, chewing stones, and tearing their hair, he reached the river bank. ‘If you dare to return here again, you'll get this same treatment,’ said the Lama holding the child at arm’s length by the neck and then hurling him into the centre of the swirling stream. Suddenly the child’s corpse was seen to change into a black dog with a gaping red mouth which snarled, ‘You’ve no compassion, Drukpa Kunlev!’ as it swam to the opposite bank." (p. 66-67)

Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism, guru, theocratic leader, king, court jester, loving grandfather, grandmother and mother, all in one person is too much for anybody. It is very understandable the Tibetans want to defend their leader by any means, and I personally don't think the Dalai-Lama is a pedophile, but the boy was used by him as an object for whatever point he wanted to make. Since the Dalai Lama is a model for many, to normalise this sort of behaviour (see Shola Mos-Shogbamimu above), qualifying it as an affectionate and good-natured exchange between a grandfather and a grandchild, without any precaution, is a bad idea.     

 ***

[1] https://twitter.com/benedictrogers/status/1646292289768046592

“I have a simple but profound principle - I try never to comment on something unless and until I feel confident that I understand the full picture and context.”

[2] Boy: “It was amazing meething His Holiness. I think It is a really great experience meeting someone with such high positive energy. It’s a really nice feeling meeting him, and you get a lot of that positive energy. It’s not just like that, but once you get positive energy, I think you are happier and it’s a better thing and you smile a lot more. It was a really good experience overall.”

Mother: “I am Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee, M3M Foundation and we've been working in Dharamsala on this skills center which we started last year. Since then we were seeking blessings from His Holiness. Today we got this opportunity and especially my family was there with me and all the students who graduated from iMpower were also present.  We’re totally totally blessed to have got these blessings from His Holiness. He came, addressed us in person, told about peace that the world needs and how everyone needs to feel together like brothers and sisters. I absolutely can not express how I feel getting blessed by him, thank you.”

[3] 7. kha dang kha sbyar lce dang 'dab ma dag/
drag tu gzhib ste so gnyis bar du drangs//
de nas cung zad ren par ‘then byed pa/
puSh+pa ke sha me tog ze bar brjod//