If a female should succeed the Dalai Lama, she must be very attractive, according to the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Speaking with the BBC on Monday, the 80-year-old Buddhist said that if a female Dalai Lama should come, “that female must be attractive, otherwise it’s not much use.”
The Dalai Lama made the remarks during a seven-minute interview with British journalist Clive Myrie.
“You’re joking, I’m assuming,” Myrie quipped. “Or, you’re not joking?”
“It’s true,” the Dalai Lama said.
His Holiness recalled a time, about 15 years ago, when a journalist first asked him about a female Dalai Lama.
“’I think females should take more important role,’ I told the reporter, if a female Dalai Lama comes her face must be – should be – very attractive,” the Dalai Lama explained.
His Holiness, who is in London on a nine-day visit, also spoke of compassion and urged European countries to open their doors to migrants and refugees.
But it was his remarks about the idea of a female Dalai Lama that drew criticism online.
Here’s a look:
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