Dalai Lama doubles down on belief female successor would have to be ‘attractive’

‘If female Dalai Lama comes, then she should be more attractive,’ spiritual leader says

The Dalai Lama has reiterated his belief that a female successor would have to be “attractive”, saying that if she isn’t, people would not want to look at her face.

The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism made his comments during a recent interview with the BBC at his residence in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

During the interview, the Dalai Lama was questioned about comments he made in 2015, when he said that a female successor would need to be “very, very attractive”, as otherwise she would be “not much use”.

The soon-to-be 84-year-old was asked whether he understood that his statement could be perceived as offensive to women.

“If female Dalai Lama comes, then she should be more attractive,” the Dalai Lama responded, reaffirming his previously-stated belief.

BBC News South Asia correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan then added that the faith leader’s statement could be seen as objectifying women, before asking whether taking on the mantle of the Dalai Lama should be about who a person is on the inside.

“Yes, I think both,” the Dalai Lama replied.

Several people expressed their disappointment in the Dalai Lama’s comments about the appearance of a hypothetical female successor.

“Sounds like the same old double standard that’s been in place for centuries. Males can rise to power as ugly toads, but a woman must possess beauty and charm,” one person tweeted.

However, others believe his response may have been misinterpreted.

“I think by attractive he means happy, smiling, kind, not looks,” a Twitter user wrote. “If you are those things you would be beautiful on the inside and it would radiate outwardly.”

During the BBC interview, the Dalai Lama criticised US president Donald Trump for his “lack of moral principle”.

The faith leader said he felt “sad” when he saw photographs of young children being treated poorly by the US administration at the US-Mexico border.

When Trump was elected in 2016, the Dalai Lama expressed little concern about statements the Republican candidate had made during his presidential campaign.

“Sometimes I feel during the election, the candidate has more freedom to express,” he told reporters at the time.

Earlier this year, the Dalai Lama was admitted to hospital with a chest infection.

The spiritual leader was flown from his residence to a hospital in the Indian capital of New Delhi.