‘We can unequivocally confirm’: Dalai Lama’s office forced to issue statement after his name appears 169 times in Epstein files

The office of the Dalai Lama has released a strong statement denying any connection to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. This came after the spiritual leader’s name showed up 169 times in recently released files. The US Department of Justice released millions of pages of documents related to Epstein’s activities.

According to The Week, the official statement said, “Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the ‘Epstein files’ are attempting to link His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein.” The statement continued with a clear denial: “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.”

Being mentioned in the files does not mean guilt or criminal activity. Most of the 169 references to the Buddhist leader relate to public events. The files show that Epstein and his associates were trying to secure a meeting, mentioning the Dalai Lama only in the third person.

Epstein’s repeated attempts to arrange a meeting went nowhere

The files contain several exchanges showing Epstein’s efforts to get the leader’s attention. In 2015, one exchange suggested a clear path to an introduction. An email sent to Epstein on May 10, 2015, mentioned a key connection: “Yes. The first step would be to meet Tenzin. His student who runs the Dalai Lama center and is now a Director’s Fellow at the Lab and going to start the ‘ethics initiative’ at the Media Lab.”

The email continued: “We’re working on some cool things, like a meeting about cognitive machines and man. I think you’ll probably like him. He can get us the Dalai Lama.” Epstein’s response the next day showed he was eager to follow this lead. He wrote, “I’m working on the dalai lama for dinner.” The dinner never happened.

An earlier attempt was documented in the files as well. In an email dated October 21, 2012, Epstein told a contact about an event he planned to attend on an island. He wrote, “…About the event I told u almost a month=ago on island that dalai lama is coming and I want to go there to see him .=But I can skip this event if u need my help today (sic).” Experts have been analyzing new surveillance footage from Epstein’s case to uncover more details.

American journalist Michael Wolff, who served as an advisor to Epstein, also spoke about the matter during a podcast. Wolff said that if the Dalai Lama had ever been present at Epstein’s Manhattan residence, the connection would have likely been related to fundraising. Many high-profile individuals approached Epstein hoping for contributions.

The recent release of the files has been massive, including more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images. The Department of Justice’s handling of Trump-Epstein connections has also drawn public attention. Despite the attention surrounding the files, the Dalai Lama, who was born Tenzin Gyatso, continues his spiritual work. He recently won a Grammy award for Best audiobook, “Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.”