The Dalai Lama has provoked the ire of followers around the world after saying that if he were to be succeeded by a woman she would have to be good-looking.

The 80-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader made the remark in London on Monday when an interviewer asked him if a woman could take over his role, the BBC reports .

The Dalai Lama offered an emphatic "yes" and told the reporter he had been asked the question years ago and offered the same answer, adding that women were biologically more compassionate.

"Then I told the reporter if female Dalai Lama will come the face should be very attractive," the monk said.

The shocked reporter then asked if the self-described feminist was serious.

"If female Dalai Lama come [sic] then that female must be attractive. Otherwise it's not much use," the Dalai Lama said.

"You're joking, I'm assuming. Or you're not joking," the reporter asked.

"It's true," the monk replied.

The remarks were greeted with indignation with commenters on feminist blog Jezebel particularly critical.

"You'd think that as someone who's all about learning and enlightenment he'd have figured a few things out," one commenter wrote.

"I had hoped for so much more from him - in the end, yet another patriarch," another said.

Despite enjoying a reputation for being the embodiment of acceptance and compassion the Dalai Lama has made a number of comments that can be described socially conservative.

The Dalai Lama has previously described gay sex as sexual misconduct and sexual organs are for reproduction and "anything that deviates from this is unacceptable".