Dalai Lama Fist Bump From Memphis Mayor: "Hello Dalai!" (VIDEO)

The Dalai Lama arrived in Memphis yesterday to receive the National Civil Rights Museum's Freedom Award. Residents will remember the visit for a number of reasons, including the way the mayor of Memphis greeted his Holiness:

Both Shelby County Mayor Wharton and Memphis Mayor Pro Tem Lowery were on hand to greet His Holiness. Mayor Lowery told the Dalai Lama, "Here we also have a tradition," as he showed His Holiness how to fist bump. "You say you've got a sense of humor," Lowery said, "I've always wanted to say Hello Dalai."

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Comments

[RustyPatina]

How incredibly ignorant and disrespectful! I guess the Mayor belongs to one of those religions that believes it is the "true faith" and everyone else's beliefs are bogus.

[MyMindSpray]

Pound, not "fist bump". Damn whoever popularized that term! Next giving dap is gonna be referred to as a vertical "fist bump".

[StopMakingSense2]

A repug and the Dali Lama? Talk about polar opposites...

[yankees]

I admit, I'm confused by some of these comments. Are we for the Dalai Lama and his ideals or for the Government of China, who owns us?
I know Obama doesn't want to talk to the Dalai Lama.

[StephenBarry]

Q: What did the Buddhist monk say to the New York City hotgog vendor ?
A: Make me one with everything.

[flymic]

nice.

[indothinker]

OMG that's hilarious!!! good thing he has great sense of humor...

[thevillagewag]

His Holiness? I thought only the Pope is referred to as "His Holiness".

[zanzig]

Only Westerners address him as HH; in Tibet and India, I have most often heard the Dalai Lama being addressed as Kundun, meaning "Presence" - a term of veneration.

[rich3324]

This is a very small thing.

[HatingTheGame]

Well, now he can answer his Buddhist question with a Brother answer:

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

What is the sound of two fists bumping?

[jeremiahos]

I was at a concert tonight held for the Dalai Lama here in Memphis.
I actually ran into Myron Lowrey.
It took everything I had not to go off on him..

I love my city, with everything I have to offer.
But really? Really?

And just when I thought we were getting back on track.

[Tim303]

He had a lame joke idea based on a mispronunciation, "Dolly" as in "Hello Dolly." Good grief. Luckily His Holiness has a very good sense of humor.

[karela]

It wasn't good protocol, but the Dalai Lama laughed and took it well. He is a very joyful man and his ego is not in control of his life.

[AllShookUp]

Hello Dalai reminds me of a Barbra Streisand movie. It's a shame that no one around them spontaneously broke out in song; that would have been fun to watch :-)

[jtreynol]

Photo of Dalai Lama fist bumping with Dave Matthews in 2008. And it appears from the picture that the Dalai Lama is initiating this gesture. http://bit.ly/133xMa

[hamchunk]

Granted, the "fist bump" and the "Hey, Dali" are not really news nor a big deal BUT-

If the mayor was a Republican/ white guy, most posters on here would be having a violent conniption fit, seething in racial indignation. Just saying....

Why was this even reported, anyway?

[flymic]

thanks for pointing out all the advantages of being a minority.

The world is STACKED against the white man! What will we ever do?