The office of the Dalai Lama has issued a statement denying claims that the spiritual leader ever met convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein on Sunday. The statement has come after media reports said that the Dalai Lama is referenced about 169 times in the latest file dump on Epstein by the US Department of Justice.
The office 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.”
“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.”
Press Statement
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) February 8, 2026
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
According to the files, emails linked to Epstein in October 2012 suggested that the sex offender was attending an event on an island where the spiritual leader was also likely present.
On October 21, 2012, Epstein told a contact via email,"...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).”
Another email sent to Epstein on May 10, 2015, read “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. 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.”
In a reply the next day, Epstein wrote, "I'm working on the dalai lama for dinner."
Michael Wolff, an American journalist and an advisor to Epstein, said that he met the Dalai Lama at Epstein’s Manhattan residence in a podcast for the Daily Beast. Wolff, however, concluded and speculated that the spiritual leader's presence may have been connected to fundraising and philanthropic outreach, as individuals were known to approach the financier for contributions.
Appearance or mentions in the Epstein files do not, however, imply criminal intent or activity. Most of the references to the Buddhist spiritual leader are in relation to public events, and he is only ever mentioned in third person by Epstein and his associates who wanted to meet him.
The Dalai Lama, who was born as Tenzin Gyatso, 90, won a Grammy award for Best audiobook“ Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness The Dalai Lama” last week.
The US Department of Justice recently released more than 3 million pages, 2000 videos and 180,000 images related to Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
