The Dalai Lama has caused an uproar online after being caught on camera kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to "suck my tongue" at a recent event in India.
Footage from the incident, which happened last month, has now gone viral on social media.
The leader of Tibetan Buddhism, Tenzin Gyatso, hosted students and members of the foundation at his temple in Dharamshala.
"Can I hug you?" the young boy asks as he approaches the microphone.
The 87-year-old smiles and gestures for him to get on the stage. "Okay come," he tells the boy.
The Dalai Lama motions to his cheek and says "first here" and the boy gives him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
He then grabs the boys arms and says "then I think fine here also" and points to his lips, before grabbing his chin and kissing him on the mouth.
"Suck my tongue," the Dalai Lama then tells the boy, sticking out his tongue.
They press their foreheads together and the boy briefly pokes out his tongue before backing away, as the Dalai Lama gives him a playful slap on the chest and laughs.
The boy goes to move away but the Dalai Lama shakes his hand and holds it to his cheek, before pulling him in for another hug.
He then offers the boy some spiritual advice, telling him to "look [to] those good human beings who create peace, happiness" and not "not follow those human beings who always kill other people".
The clip has caused a stir in India with some online branding the footage "creepy" and "disgusting", while others insist it was just "joking around", according to local media.
In 2019 the Dalai Lama was caught up in a sexism controversy after saying if his successor were to be a woman, "she should be more attractive".
His office apologised, saying that sometimes his "off-the-cuff remarks, which might be amusing in one cultural context, lose their humour in translation when brought into another".
