(CNN) The Dalai Lama wants to clarify his recent joke that a female Dalai Lama would have to be "more attractive."

The Tibetan spiritual leader made the controversial comment in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC last week. He had previously told the British broadcaster in 2015 that a future Dalai Lama could be a woman but would have to be good looking or "not much use."

JUST WATCHED Dalai Lama: Compassion can improve your health Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Dalai Lama: Compassion can improve your health 09:53

In a statement released Tuesday, his office said, "His Holiness genuinely meant no offense. He is deeply sorry that people have been hurt by what he said and offers his sincere apologies."

The Dalai Lama has consistently emphasized "the need for people to connect with each other on a deeper human level, rather than getting caught up in preconceptions based on superficial appearances," the statement added.

According to his office, the Dalai Lama has "a keen sense of the contradictions between the materialistic, globalized world he encounters on his travels and the complex, more esoteric ideas about reincarnation that are at the heart of Tibetan Buddhist tradition. However, it sometimes happens that off the cuff remarks, which might be amusing in one cultural context, lose their humor in translation when brought into another."

Read More