Photo: VCG

A recent scandal has exposed yet another crack in the hypocritical veneer of the 14th Dalai Lama clique. Tenzin Taklha, the Dalai Lama's nephew and secretary, has reportedly been engulfed in several allegations involving domestic abuse, sexual exploitation and embezzlement. His misconduct has long been an open secret within the Dalai clique, yet it seemingly has been shielded and tolerated for years.

This is by no means an isolated case. From the Dalai Lama himself to members of his family and inner circle, scandal after scandal has continued to surface. This separatist group, long cloaked in the rhetoric of "human rights" and "democracy" and parasitizing under a religious guise, is now exposing to the world its ugly face through a series of shocking exchanges of power, sex and money: a rotten, hollow entity corrupted to its very core.

A range of unsavory conduct

Tenzin Taklha, reportedly the nephew and personal secretary of the 14th Dalai Lama, has long been regarded as a key figure within the Dalai clique's inner circle of power. Yet behind the pious image he projects before "devotees," several foreign media outlets and investigative websites have unveiled him as a man of deeply questionable character, allegedly involved in a range of unsavory conduct.

One of the most serious scandals about Tenzin Taklha is reportedly a domestic violence case first brought to light by his own wife. On June 10, 2025, the website "Dakini Translations and Publications," which describes itself as an "online resource for new Dharma translations and research on Tibetan Buddhism and Vajrayana," received an anonymous tip claiming that Tenzin Taklha's wife had "allegedly posted on her Facebook page a 'desperate cry for help' as a domestic violence survivor."

According to a screenshot of the post published by the website, she accused her husband of having a violent temper and repeatedly assaulting her physically. "In recent years, whenever displeased, he destroyed items in our home and beat me. I always have bruises on my arms and legs. One incident even left my ribs fractured," the screenshot reads. The source who submitted the tip speculated that the original post had already been deleted by Tenzin Taklha.

If these allegations are true, the abuse would amount to more than a private marital dispute. It would be a stark example of Tenzin Taklha abusing his power, inflicting violence on others and trampling on human dignity, some human rights experts reached by the Global Times commented. Yet, as the screenshot of the post also noted, the Dalai Lama "has urged forgiveness for the sake of 'home stability'" a stance that appears to amount to tolerance, if not indulgence, toward violence.

Sexual exploitation is another major allegation against Tenzin Taklha. According to SNAP Survivors Network - a self-described "community of survivors of clergy and institutional sexual abuse" - he was accused of exploiting young women by "inducing them into explicit online sexual conversations and exchanging nude photos," the organization said on February 12. "He allegedly boasted of having relations with 25 girls," the article added. 

A third major accusation against Tenzin Taklha is the embezzlement of "public funds" for personal gain. He was accused of diverting "humanitarian aid funds" to "purchase luxury properties in the US, among other personal expenses," according to the SNAP Survivors Network website.

As a result, 32 members of a separatist foundation linked to the Dalai Lama clique reportedly petitioned in the summer of 2025 for his expulsion from the organization. Tenzin Taklha's extreme corruption and debauchery have offered a glimpse of the broader, ugly reality behind the Dalai clique.

Birds of a feather

The scandal involving Tenzin Taklha is merely a microcosm of the broader dysfunctional elements within the Dalai clique. From the Dalai Lama himself to members of his family and close confidants, many figures in this core network have been tainted by misconduct.

Tenzin Dhonden, for instance, is another infamous name associated with the Dalai Lama's camp. Tenzin Dhonden was reportedly appointed the Dalai Lama's "personal emissary of peace," tasked with organizing various events and initiatives on his behalf. Yet the misconduct later exposed in connection with him stood in stark contrast to the image implied by that title.

As early as 2017, Tenzin Dhonden was accused of bullying, celebrity worship and corruption. One allegation came from a Seattle-based technology entrepreneur, who said Tenzin Dhonden "extracted unjustified payments from him between 2005 and 2008, in return for setting up an event with the Dalai Lama," the Guardian reported in November 2017. A letter sent to the Dalai Lama's private office, as quoted by the newspaper, said: "His (Tenzin Dhonden's) questionable values, arrogant disposition and objectionable behavior have generated confusion, anxiety and extensive unhappiness for many years." 

Tenzin Dhonden also came under criticism for organizing a 2009 event in Albany in the US hosted by Nxivm, "a controversial self-help organization that has been compared to a cult," according to the Guardian. The event was initially canceled after public outcry, but later went ahead, the report said.

In addition, Tenzin Dhonden was accused of having affairs with multiple women. A November 23, 2017 report by the US-based Niagara Reporter revealed that Tenzin Dhonden was "involved in a personal relationship with Seagram heiress Sara Bronfman that started around 2009." The report described him as Bronfman's "lover."

Faced with multiple allegations and scandals, nonetheless, in July 2019, after more than a year of what was described as a thorough investigation, the Dalai Lama's side claimed the embezzlement allegations against Tenzin Dhonden were unsubstantiated due to a "lack of evidence," according to media reports. 

"They are not ignorant of evil; rather, they choose to collectively conceal it, tolerate it and shield it," commented an opinion piece published by China Tibet Online on April 10.

Surrounded for years by figures accused of misconduct and moral hypocrisy, the Dalai Lama himself has also become embroiled in repeated controversies that have drawn criticism and condemnation worldwide. Far from maintaining the untouchable image often portrayed in Western media, he has faced growing scrutiny over both his personal behavior and his associations.

One of the most controversial issues concerns his connection to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A search of the Jeffrey Epstein files released on the US Department of Justice website shows 157 results for the "Dalai Lama."

American journalist and consultant Michael Wolff, who acted as an advisor to Epstein, recalled in a podcast with host Joanna Coles for The Daily Beast last July that he met the Dalai Lama at Epstein's Manhattan residence, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency on February 4.

Although the official X account of the Dalai Lama claimed on February 8 that he "has never met Jeffrey Epstein," many of the more prominent comments among the post's more than 2,000 replies mocked the statement by linking it to the earlier controversy in 2023.

In March 2023, a video showed the Dalai Lama asking a young boy to "suck my tongue" during a public event. The footage has sparked widespread criticism, with many social media users saying it was inappropriate and disturbing, BBC News reported in April 2023.

Illegitimate and corrupt

The controversial reputation of the Dalai Lama stems not only from his long-standing separatist rhetoric and political activities, but also from a series of personal controversies and public incidents that have repeatedly drawn criticism internationally.

Yet well before the "suck my tongue" controversy, several public incidents had already generated criticism over his behavior and remarks.

In 2016, during a public appearance with Lady Gaga, footage circulated online showing the Dalai Lama repeatedly touching the singer's leg while she appeared uncomfortable.

In 2019, during an interview with BBC News, the Dalai Lama claimed that if a future Dalai Lama were female, she "should be more attractive." His comments immediately sparked outrage online, reported CBS News.

This isn't the first time the Dalai Lama has brought up the physical beauty of a potential successor. In a 2015 BBC interview, he made similar comments, claiming that a "female Dalai Lama" should be attractive, otherwise she would be of "not much use," the report said. 

The political nature of separatism is often closely intertwined with corrupt practices in personal life, Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times. Cloaked in the "sacred" guise of religion, the Dalai clique parasitically feeds off the world, spiritually manipulating its followers while politically orchestrating various separatist activities and urging Western forces to sanction China. At the same time, it engages behind the scenes in shady dealings involving power, money, and sex.

As long as the Dalai clique continues to exist, the various forms of corruption within it will not cease, but will only intensify. In essence, the Dalai clique has long become a fundamentally rotten, irredeemably corrupt criminal organization with no future whatsoever, Zhu said.

Xiao Jie, a senior fellow of China Tibetology Research Center, also told the Global Times that the "Tibetan government-in-exile" is, in essence, an illegitimate and corrupt political organization.

Although it has long attempted to project an image of a "democratic and autonomous" institution for overseas Tibetans, it is far removed from any genuine form of political autonomy. Instead, it serves merely as a tool for the Dalai clique to mislead international public opinion externally and to distribute benefits internally, Xiao explained.

According to Xiao, since the establishment of the so-called "Tibetan People's Parliament" in the 1960s, the Dalai clique has engaged in performative democratization. In 2011, it even staged acts of "political retirement" by the Dalai Lama and "constitutional amendments." However, this performance of democratization cannot conceal the underlying reality of family-based politics and theocracy. The Dalai clique strives to maintain a theocratic system fundamentally to ensure control over Tibetan exiles, sustain its separatist agenda, and safeguard the interests of the Dalai Lama and those around him.

"It is not only a smokescreen used to deceive international public opinion and obscure its controversial past, but also a means of soliciting aid from Western countries," Xiao said. 

Ignoring its historical identity as a former serf-owning class and avoiding any discussion of past actions against the Tibetan people, the Dalai clique instead promotes narratives of freedom, democracy and human rights. This is aimed at gaining favor from anti-China forces in the West by demonstrating rhetorical alignment, and thereby securing the international assistance on which it depends for survival through the role of a frontline anti-China actor, Xiao added.