The Dalai Lama, 87, apologizes after kissing a young boy on the lips and asking the child to “suck” his tongue in a bizarre interaction caught on video at a charity event in India

The Dalai Lama has apologized after a disturbing video surfaced on social media of him kissing an Indian boy on the lips before asking him to “suck” his tongue.

Footage of the awkward incident showed the Tibetan spiritual leader inviting a young Indian boy on stage at a charity event hosted by India’s M3M Foundation at the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala in February.

In the video, the boy asks the Dalai Lama: “Can I hug you?” to which Tenzin Gyatso replied: “Okay – come now!”.

The spiritual leader first asks the boy to kiss him on the cheek before pointing to his lips. He holds the boy’s face as they kiss briefly, then the two press their foreheads together.

Just as the boy was about to withdraw, the Dalai Lama instructed him: “And suck my tongue” – prompting the boy to slowly crawl towards the 87-year-old’s outstretched tongue.

Some of the Dalai Lama’s supporters defended him, claiming that their leader was only “joking”.

Others went so far as to call the Dalai Lama a “treacherous false prophet,” while one user called for him to be “arrested for pedophilia.”

Those attending the event can be heard laughing as the boy sits uncomfortably in front of the senior Tibetan Buddhist leader and nervously follows his instructions.

Before letting the child go, the Dalai Lama gave him some wisdom, telling him to “look at those good people who bring peace and happiness” and not “follow the people who are always killing other people”.

Some of the Dalai Lama’s supporters came to his aid, claiming their leader was “joking”.

But the clip sparked outrage on social media, with commentators calling the Dalai Lama’s actions “outrageous”, “disgusting” and “absolutely sick”.

Others even called the Dalai Lama a “treacherous false prophet,” while one user called for him to be “arrested for pedophilia.”

“Totally shocked by this portrayal of the #DalaiLama. He also had to apologize for his sexist remarks in the past. But to say, “Suck my tongue to a little boy is rude,” wrote user Sangita.

Another poster, Rakhi Tripathi, said: “What did I just see? What must this child feel? Disgusting.’

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama waves during his first day of classes at the Kalachakra complex in Bodhgaya in this Dec. 29, 2022 file photo

The spiritual leader’s office today released a formal statement on social media apologizing for his actions.

“His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends around the world, for any pain his words may have caused,” the statement read.

“His Holiness often teases those he meets in an innocent and playful manner, even in public and in front of cameras,” he added.

“He regrets the incident.”

The Dalai Lama remains the universally recognized face of the Tibetan autonomy movement.

But the global spotlight he enjoyed after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 has faded and the flurry of invitations to meet world leaders and Hollywood stars has waned, in part as the aging leader has cut back on his grueling travel schedule , but also because China is growing more economic and political influence.

Beijing accuses him of wanting to divide China and calls him a “wolf in a monk’s clothing”.

In 2019, the Dalai Lama apologized for saying that if his successor was to be a woman, she should be “attractive”.

The statements, which have been criticized worldwide, come from an interview with the BBC.