His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who is considered by his followers to be the very manifestation of the bodhisattva of compassion, isn't known for swearing like an angry docker.

Hence the surprise of an audience of students at Brown University in Rhode Island, when at the end of a speech on world peace, he appeared to utter some distinctly unholy language.

Closed caption screens in the auditorium were showing subtitles of the event, and a stenographer transcribing the speech appeared to think His Holiness had uttered the words, 'F**k it'.

Those relying on the screens to understand what the Dalai Lama had said would have been led to believe that the man, who for many is the very embodiment of compassion and a living God, had ended his speech in a rather sweary manner.

The exiled Tibetan leader was in fact urging listeners to share his thoughts with others if they found them interesting. If not, he said, they could “forget.”

The Dalai Lama was delivering the memorial lecture to 5,600 people at Brown University on Wednesday, inside the Rhode Island Convention Centre in Providence

A Brown spokeswoman confirmed he said “forget” and said the closed captioning that appeared was an error.

Nearing the end of the speech the 77-year-old said: 'If you feel these points are not much relevant - not much interest - then forget.'

It was then that the mistake by the hapless, and no doubt embarrassed, stenographer occurred.