Dalai Lama Denies Any Meeting With Jeffrey Epstein After Name Appears in U.S. Files

The Dalai Lama’s name appeared in multiple emails and in the index of a book titled ‘Massage for Dummies’. Photo: AFP/Niharika Kulkarni

The Dalai Lama has denied ever meeting disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after his name appeared repeatedly in files released by the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to the documents, Epstein mentioned the Dalai Lama dozens of times in personal emails. In a May 2015 message to Soon-Yi Previn, the wife of film director Woody Allen, Epstein wrote that he was «working on the dalai lama for dinner.» In another email to Japanese venture capitalist Joichi Ito, he suggested a «fun dinner» with the Dalai Lama, Allen and Noam Chomsky.

In a statement, the Dalai Lama’s office said the Tibetan spiritual leader had never met Epstein nor authorised any contact with him.

«We can unequivocally confirm that His Holiness has never met Jeffrey Epstein,» the statement said.

The Dalai Lama was mentioned 169 times in the files but is not accused of any wrongdoing. Records indicate that it was Epstein who sought a meeting. His name also appeared in multiple emails and in the index of a book titled Massage for Dummies, included among scanned case records.

Born Tenzin Gyatso, the 90-year-old Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959 and leads Tibetan Buddhism from Dharamsala. He has previously faced controversy, including remarks about women and a 2023 incident at a public event in India, for which he apologised.

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