The office of the Dalai Lama has issued a statement denying claims that the Tibetan spiritual leader was connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The clarification comes after media reports and social media posts suggested that his name appeared in documents linked to Epstein’s alleged crimes.
“Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the ‘Epstein files’ are attempting to link His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein. We can unequivocally confirm that His Holiness has never met Jeffrey Epstein or authorised any meeting or interaction with him by anyone on His Holiness’s behalf,” the statement posted on the Dalai Lama’s official X account said.
Press Statement
Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the “Epstein files” are attempting to link His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein.
We can unequivocally confirm that His Holiness has never met Jeffrey Epstein or authorised any meeting or… pic.twitter.com/QtV6B3Wr0u
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) February 8, 2026
The Epstein Files and Dalai Lama mentions
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released an enormous trove of materials related to Epstein, including more than 3 million documents, over 2,000 videos, and roughly 180,000 photographs.
These files form part of the “Epstein Files Transparency Act” disclosure containing grand jury transcripts, investigative records, and other official documents. While some pages are heavily redacted, the release has drawn global attention.
Reports indicate that the Dalai Lama’s name appears at least 169 times across the files. Emails within the collection suggest Epstein discussed attending events that the Dalai Lama would also be present at.
For instance, a 2012 email references an unnamed island event where Epstein noted the Dalai Lama’s attendance.
Another email from 2015 mentions, “First step would be to meet Tenzin. His student who runs the Dalai Lama center…can get us the Dalai Lama,” and a subsequent message reads, “I’m working on the Dalai Lama for dinner.”
Epstein advisors recall meetings
American journalist and consultant Michael Wolff, who previously advised Epstein, recalled on a podcast with Daily Beat host Joanna Coles that he met the Dalai Lama at Epstein’s Manhattan residence.
Wolff confirmed, “Yeah, indeed,” noting that Epstein often hosted prominent figures at his New York home.
However, the Dalai Lama’s office has clarified that any such encounters were not arranged or sanctioned.
Dalai Lama and his controversies
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is one of the world’s most recognised spiritual leaders. Born in 1935 in Tibet, he fled the region in 1959. This happened after failed uprising against Chinese control that had begun in 1950.
Crossing the Himalayas into India, he was granted asylum and later established the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
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For decades, he has worked to preserve Tibetan culture and advocate for autonomy. Until his retirement from political life in 2011, the Dalai Lama also served as the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
China however does not recognise this administration and asserts that Tibet has been part of China since the 13th century. The Dalai Lama maintains that Tibet was independent when Chinese forces entered.
The 90-year-old Buddhist leader has faced occasional controversies. In 2023, a video surfaced showing him inappropriately interacting with a young male student prompting public backlash. In the video, he asks the young boy to suck his tongue.
Recently the Dalai Lama won Grammy for his audiobook ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’.