Here is an important answer from a Buddhist friend, Michael da Silva, to the video of the Dalai Lama saying to a child, Suck my tongue.
What a horror, I have heard from various sources. Finally the Dalai Lama is unmasked.
That was not Michael’s response.
Lost in Translation: Eat My Tongue
The Tibetan Phrase “Che La Sa”
A key point missing: In Tibetan culture, it is common to see old grandparents not only give a kiss to small children, but to also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths – directly from mouth to mouth. This may not be the norm of your culture, but this is commonly done.
After the Elder gives a 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, his Holiness misspoke due to his less than proficient English).
The Tibetan phrase is, “Che la 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.” It is a playful thing that the children know. This is not really done in the Lhasa region the capital of Tibet as much, but it is more common in the Amdo region where the Dalai Lama is from. However it is definitely a Tibetan custom.
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.
💎🌹
On Perception
On the whole, we naturally tend to trust our everyday perceptions; we assume their validity without it even occurring to us to question them. We naïvely believe that the way we perceive things is identical with the way things are. And so, because events and things, including the self, appear to have objective reality, we conclude, tacitly and often without any reflection at all, that they do in fact have an objective reality. Only through the process of careful analysis can we see that this is not so, that our perceptions do not accurately reflect objective reality.
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso
from the book "Essence of the Heart Sutra"
I ask: why the quick readiness to believe the worst about the Dalai Lama?
Michael asked the same question, and sent a couple of other pieces, the first from Dr. Karma Phuntso, a renowned historian from Bhutan:
TURNING MISHAP INTO MERIT
The recent furore media houses created around HH the Dalai Lama’s gestures of affection towards an Indian boy has disturbed many people on both sides of those criticizing and defending the action. Understandably, many Buddhists are upset mainly by the excessive reaction to HH's genuine expression of affection, which was misconstrued as 'molestation' by many around the world although it was an appropriate gesture in his own culture.
In the true spirit of what HH teaches, we must take this as an opportunity to learn and become better. There are a few important lessons we can learn from this episode.
1. Do not fall for online deception.
The viral video appears maliciously tailored with an agenda of defaming HH. The original video (shown here) of the event, which happened two months ago, has the full context and does not give the scandalous impression, which the edited viral video does. Thousands of people passed their judgements based on the edited version without knowing the actual situation and exchanges. In this digital age with rampant fake news and information manipulation, it behoves us to be very cautious and astute in consuming online information including those from major media houses.
2. Mind the cultural gaps
Indeed, many disapprove HH's actions even having watched the full video. Sticking out one’s tongue is a common Tibetan gesture of respect and I learnt that "ལྕེ་ལེབ་ཟ་ eat my tongue”, perhaps less common, is a Tibetan expression of affection. Even I, a Bhutanese and long time student of Tibetan lamas, find the Tibetan tongue culture quite strange. Such culture-specific behaviours may not fit our own sense of mores but that does not make the behaviour bad or wrong.
When I first arrived in the UK in late 20s and put my arms around my friend as we walked on Oxford’s Broad Street, people threw curious looks and he said: "Karma, can you take off your arm?” Bhutanese friends walk with arms around each other without ‘sexualising' it. Similarly, when my first nephew was born, I remember kissing him on the lips and everybody else including non-relatives doing so, so frequently that I even remember saying his lips may wear out. No, it was neither perverted sexual act, nor seen as one. While in India, my Tibetan teacher would made clicking sounds with the tongue against the lower lip to call his dog, the same sound which we used in my village in Bhutan as a naughty sexual suggestive. The sound had no sexual connotation to him.
Different cultures have different ways to express affection. We talk about respect for cultural diversity and yet, here we are today judging a genuine Tibetan expression of love from a personage, whose moral track record is indisputable, using another cultural yardstick. If the act should be judged, let it be so by the Tibetan child activists in the proper context of Tibetan culture, not by puritanical Indians, Communist Chinese, or Wokish Westerners.
It is wrong to overlook cultural specificities and pass harsh judgements. In fact, the real perversion, I would say, exists in the minds of those judgemental people, who, in this case, are so wont to sexualise things. At this rate, they may say even the phalluses on Bhutanese houses and festival scenes are abusive. While I do not condone either abusive cultures or abuse of cultures, it is important for us to mind the cultural gaps and not pass judgements with a broad brush. The only way to verify whether the interaction was abusive or not would be to judge by the intent and outcome. The intent is clearly love, and as for the outcome, the child and his mother appears to have only felt blessed and privileged by the interaction, if we go by their subsequent interviews, not traumatised as some seem to think.
3. Be a bit more positive
It is important to be critical and not accept things blindly. This is an approach HH constantly champions following the Buddha. But the world has tipped to a depressing point of cynicism and negativity. Cheap media houses, in particular, thrive on scandals and sensational stories to highlight the worst side of people. Many people project their own selfish narrow lives onto others or generalise and deduce something to be the case from other cases. In this respect, HH has become a victim of the widespread cases of sexual abuse among priests, against which he has spoken repeatedly.
It seems people today cannot think that a pure and wholesome human character is even possible. In fact, we become even more suspicious of good people and their good works. While it is important not to be fooled by charlatans, we also ought to be open to the idea of inherent good, pure love and selfless actions. Not all kisses, even from strangers, involve a sexual desire and not all ’tongue sucking’ need to be loaded with lust. If the boy was the grandnephew of HH or it was an old woman instead of HH, would people sexualise it the same way? HH is an epitome of a pure human character, if one looks at his life and works with a critical eye. We need to accept that genuine love is possible, even towards strangers, and not everyone is stuck in the muck of carnal craving and hatred as most are.
Here is another case of negativity. The Office of HH Dalai Lama issued an apology if his action has caused any hurt to the sentiments of some people. Sadly, some people took the apology as an admission of guilt. Some demand even a stronger apology. In a world so obsessed with the self and individual rights, it is hard to imagine that someone who is not guilty would apologise. If one follows the kind of Bodhisattva tradition which HH the Dalai Lama represents, this is a common practice. One of the famous practices is to take upon oneself all pain and blame of the world, as some of us would know through the tonglen practice. A great being apologies to not admit a guilt but to take on the blame and diffuse the problem. There are people who have such selfless courage and compassion. We can do with a bit more positive view of the world.
5. Be sensitive to the world
Finally, there is this last but not least important lesson for us and particularly our teachers or leaders. It comes from Shantideva, my favourite Buddhist author, and a master whom HH quotes and promotes constantly. Shantideva said:
འཇིག་རྟེན་མ་དད་གྱུར་པ་ཀུན། །མཐོང་དང་དྲིས་ཏེ་སྤང་བར་བྱ། །
By observing oneself or asking others,
Avoid what makes the world lose faith.
At his advanced age, with his carefree sense of playfulness, and above all being carried away by the force of his sincerity and love, which he profusely shows to the Indian boy, HH may have let his guard down to be politically correct. Tirelessly engaged in his spiritual and educational works, he most likely does not have the time to follow current trends and learn about our changing sensibilities. For a public figure of outstanding reputation and getting unrelenting attention, his aides could have done a better homework about international taboos and sensitivities.
At a time, when PC and cancel culture reigns the world, it is a lesson worth learning, particularly by those teachers, who exhibit unconventional behaviours and so-called crazy wisdom.
May this tide of travesty carry HH's message of wisdom and compassion further and higher than ever before.
Michael closed with a few lines from Benedict Tan:
The REAL question is WHO posted the video and WHY? Woke westerners? Definitely not. To them, pedophilia or even the appearance of it is to be celebrated, not reviled. So WHO would benefit from demonizing the Dalai Lama?
Hint: WHO regards him as public enemy number one? The CCP of course!!!!
In other words, almost certainly all the people who quickly denigrated the Dalai Lama were doing exactly as the Communist Party of China wanted them to do.
Michael closed with an image - of people from Darjeeling gathering to show their support of the Dalai Lama.
Posted April 18, 2023
One of the worst classes of apologists are cult followers: religious defenders of the person they have made the central part of their life and worship as saints.
Those are NOT good sources for truth, that seems obvious.
Here we go again. Another Richard Gage enters the debate: "Do no believe what you SEE, believe what I SAY!"
It's always the same: look for yourself! Why need explanation for what we can see with our own eyes?
What's in the video? Clearly that is obvious. It's awkward, ALSO FOR THE KID. Hear the nervous giggles of the bystanders.
He doesn't say "eat my tongue" btw. Everybody can hear with their own ears that he says "SUCK my tongue". Don't come and tell me that the guy, after 60 odd years of being a Western darling, doesn't know enough English to know these two words and their difference.
Why did I believe it so quickly? Because the guy is a creep, who has done exactly ZERO for the awakening of humanity. Having a Hollywood movie with you as the hero makes you a super-suspect person, I can guarantee you thàt.
This is just another desperate attempt to explain away what is in front of our eyes. The elite satanist pedophilia cult is obviously absurd, it doesn't exist, anyone can see that the Podestas have only beautiful art in their house, and pizza, hahaha, really? Pizza means child fucking? What a completely messed up brain YOU must have to even come up with such a thing!
Come on Elsa. Alarm bells all over this post. Blaming people for having real disgust when they see something completely inappropriate is NOT being culturally advanced. It's what all these other apologists for the elite do.
TRUE LOVE FOR CHILDREN IS UNIVERSAL, AND DOES NOT REQUIRE EDUCATION.
Thinking that pedo behaviour is normal, THAT requires an acquired taste.