A religious leader has been stripped of his halos: Why did the Dalai Lama appear in the Epstein files?

With the US Department of Justice releasing a massive "Epstein Files" document, Jeffrey Epstein's infamous sex trafficking and powerful network have once again become a focus of international attention - writes Li Lin.

The 14th Dalai Lama is frequently mentioned in the materials, drawing continued scrutiny of his relationship with Epstein.

A name that is mentioned repeatedly

According to disclosed documents and communications, the Dalai Lama's name appears at least 169 times in the files, primarily in internal emails, event planning, and social arrangements. This frequency is unusual among the many individuals mentioned, making him a key target of media scrutiny.

Public records show that from 2012 to 2015, multiple emails contained content related to the Dalai Lama.

An email from October 2012 reveals that Epstein was aware of the Dalai Lama's attendance at an event and coordinated the itinerary. The email also mentions that certain individuals closely associated with Epstein would participate in Dalai Lama-related activities; these names are redacted in the file but are widely believed to include former Harvard University president and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, and Harvard physics professor Lisa Randall, among others.

In a 2015 email to film director Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn, Epstein wrote that he was “arranging a dinner with the Dalai Lama”. Woody Allen and Epstein were longtime friends; in the last batch of declassified documents, his name appeared more than 3,000 times. The documents revealed that Epstein influenced casting decisions via email, thereby luring women into the casting process.

In another email, Epstein discussed the same dinner with Japanese venture capitalist Joi Ito, mentioning the invitations to the Dalai Lama, Noam Chomsky, and Woody Allen. Documents show that Ito and Epstein maintained frequent communication and Ito visited Epstein's private island in the Caribbean multiple times. The email also mentions that Ito jokingly said he wanted to name his daughter "Jeffrina," indicating a very close personal relationship. Although Ito later withdrew from all activities in the United States due to the scandal, he attempted a comeback with the support of high-ranking officials in the Japanese government, including Sanae Takaichi.

Wider evidence

Third-party information also corroborates some of the contents of the archives. Michael Wolf, a journalist who served as an advisor to Epstein, recalled in a podcast that he met the Dalai Lama at Epstein's Manhattan residence, which was long considered the central venue for Epstein's high-end "salon-like gatherings." Independent journalist Jacob Silverman, in his Substack column, pointed out that such visits are usually related to financial support or charitable collaborations, consistent with Epstein's usual practice of building social connections through donations.

In addition to publicly available materials, an intelligence assessment document labeled as belonging to the Indian Home Affairs system has also been widely circulated. The document reveals that around 2015, Epstein established contact with representatives associated with the Dalai Lama through intermediaries to discuss the possibility of inviting him to participate in private "spiritual retreats." The document mentions that this arrangement was accompanied by anticipated political contact and financial support, and involved the screening and coordination of participants.

From a broader network perspective, the emergence of the Dalai Lama is not an isolated phenomenon. The Epstein archives also involve numerous figures from political, business, and academic circles, whose operations typically rely on private dinners and closed social settings to connect academic authorities, cultural celebrities, and financial power. In this context, the frequent mentions of the Dalai Lama are closer to being nodes within this network structure.

Past controversies surrounding the Dalai Lama

It is worth noting that the Dalai Lama's past interactions with controversial figures provided a practical basis for his entry into Epstein's network of elites. In 2009, the Dalai Lama attended an event organized by the American business training organization NXIVM and shared the stage with its founder, Keith Lanier. This organization was later identified as a cult involved in sexual exploitation, and its founder, Keith Lanier, was sentenced to a long prison term in 2019.

Meanwhile, criticism surrounding his personal outrageous remarks and actions continues to accumulate. His previous comments about women and refugees have drawn international criticism. In a 2019 BBC interview, he jokingly stated that if a female successor were to emerge, she must be "beautiful," otherwise she would be "useless". Furthermore, the Dalai Lama's inappropriate interaction with a minor in India in 2023 also sparked international criticism. At a public event in Dharamshala, India, he kissed a young boy on the lips and made him "suck his tongue".

Despite external doubts, the Dalai Lama's office has issued a public statement denying any contact or authorization relationship with Epstein.

However, based on existing documents, the chain of evidence demonstrating close ties between the Dalai Lama and Epstein is quite clear. Multiple emails, third-party testimonies, and intelligence from the Indian government all point to one fact: Epstein consistently pushed for the inclusion of the Dalai Lama in his core social circle and made specific arrangements around this goal.

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