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Dalai Lama: Female successor ‘must be attractive, otherwise it’s not much use’

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.

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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.

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Here’s a look:

https://twitter.com/behrens/status/646707418206892032

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https://twitter.com/MrWordsWorth/status/646649579962793984

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https://twitter.com/uneamino/status/646821620397572096

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