Boy oh boy does China hate the Dalai Lama.
John Oliver dove headfirst into the country’s torment of the Tibetan people Sunday on “Last Week Tonight,” using the Lama as an example of its oppression. As it turns out, not only is there a big civil rights issue ongoing over there, there’s a sizable problem about the future of the Buddhist figurehead himself.
Here’s the basic gist: As per usual, the aging Dalai Lama is expected to be reincarnated as a child after death. Someone called the Panchen Lama is supposed to be the person who identifies as the young spiritual leader. There’s one problem, however: China basically kidnapped the Panchen Lama 20 years ago. That’s not helpful.
Oliver traveled 14 hours to India to ask the Dalai Lama directly about the future of his position. Yes, the HBO host actually got a one-on-one interview — watch the video above.
During the conversation, the Dalai Lama admitted that it’s “very possible” he’ll be the last spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. And he, surprisingly didn’t seem very concerned about that. The Dalai Lama then boasted that he apparently cured Mongolia of alcoholism with horse milk.
Oh, and Oliver gave the Lama a crappy calculator watch. It’s water resistant, so.