Image Courtesy: BBC
Dalai Lama in an attempt to clarify his previous joke - a female Dalai Lama would have to be more 'attractive' to replace him - has issued a statement regarding the controversial remark.
The Tibetan spiritual leader of the Buddhist faith appeared in a TV interview on BBC last week where he answered a wide range of questions. The female successor remark was part of the interview when His Holiness was asked regarding succession.
Rajini Vaidyanathan, the interviewer, asked His Holiness regarding a comment he had made back in 2015 that a female Dalai Lama taking his place should be 'more attractive.'
Vaidyanathan asked whether His Holiness stood by his comment and he said he did.
https://twitter.com/BBCRajiniV/status/1144254308176879616
In a statement released Tuesday, Dalai Lama's office said, "His Holiness genuinely meant no offense. He is deeply sorry that people have been hurt by what he said and offers his sincere apologies.
The Dalai Lama has consistently emphasized "the need for people to connect with each other on a deeper human level, rather than getting caught up in preconceptions based on superficial appearances," the statement added.
According to Dalai Lama's office, the Dalai Lama has "a keen sense of the contradictions between the materialistic, globalized world he encounters on his travels and the complex, more esoteric ideas about reincarnation that are at the heart of Tibetan Buddhist tradition. However, it sometimes happens that off the cuff remarks, which might be amusing in one cultural context, lose their humor in translation when brought into another."
The said interview to British broadcaster had a wide range of questions for His Holiness including Donald Trump, European matters, immigration, etc.
When asked about Donald Trump, His Holiness replied,
"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," he said, adding that Trump's emotions are "also a little bit... too complicated".
According to NDTV, the 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader suggested that a solution to many of the problems 'we face in the world today is to remind ourselves that as human beings we are all brothers and sisters belonging to one human family and that together we can take action to address the global challenges that confront us'.
Dalai Lama in an attempt to clarify his previous joke - a female Dalai Lama would have to be more 'attractive' to replace him - has issued a statement regarding the controversial remark.
The Tibetan spiritual leader of the Buddhist faith appeared in a TV interview on BBC last week where he answered a wide range of questions. The female successor remark was part of the interview when His Holiness was asked regarding succession.
Rajini Vaidyanathan, the interviewer, asked His Holiness regarding a comment he had made back in 2015 that a female Dalai Lama taking his place should be 'more attractive.'
Vaidyanathan asked whether His Holiness stood by his comment and he said he did.
https://twitter.com/BBCRajiniV/status/1144254308176879616
In a statement released Tuesday, Dalai Lama's office said, "His Holiness genuinely meant no offense. He is deeply sorry that people have been hurt by what he said and offers his sincere apologies.
The Dalai Lama has consistently emphasized "the need for people to connect with each other on a deeper human level, rather than getting caught up in preconceptions based on superficial appearances," the statement added.
According to Dalai Lama's office, the Dalai Lama has "a keen sense of the contradictions between the materialistic, globalized world he encounters on his travels and the complex, more esoteric ideas about reincarnation that are at the heart of Tibetan Buddhist tradition. However, it sometimes happens that off the cuff remarks, which might be amusing in one cultural context, lose their humor in translation when brought into another."
The said interview to British broadcaster had a wide range of questions for His Holiness including Donald Trump, European matters, immigration, etc.
When asked about Donald Trump, His Holiness replied,
"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," he said, adding that Trump's emotions are "also a little bit... too complicated".
According to NDTV, the 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader suggested that a solution to many of the problems 'we face in the world today is to remind ourselves that as human beings we are all brothers and sisters belonging to one human family and that together we can take action to address the global challenges that confront us'.