'Scandalous' video of Dalai Lama asking boy to 'suck' his tongue

A video has emerged of the Dalai Lama asking a boy to "suck his tongue" at an event.

The interaction has sparked a strong backlash online after the video of the event the 87-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader was attending went viral.

The video showed the boy first asking the Dalai Lama if he could hug him.

After agreeing, the Dalai Lama kissed the child on his lips before saying, "suck my tongue".

He then poked his tongue out and moved close to the boy, who appeared to lean away.

The Dalai Lama then laughed before shaking the boy's hand and saying, "thank you".

"Now you should look for good human beings who create peace and happiness, and you should not follow those human beings that are killing other people," he told the boy before he gave him another hug.

The Tribune News Service in India said the staff of the Dalai Lama did not respond to phone calls or messages to get reaction to the video.

The official Twitter account for the Dalai Lama posted a video of interaction with the boy after the kiss.

"During his meeting with students and members of M3M Foundation at the courtyard of Thekchen Choeling Tsuglakhang, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama advised a young Indian boy to look up to a good human being who always works to cultivate peace and happiness in the world," the tweet read.

The Twitter account later shared a written apology to "the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused".

"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras," the statement read.

"He regrets the incident."