The Dalai Lama has confirmed that the centuries-old institution of the Tibetan spiritual leader will continue after his death, declaring that his reincarnation must be identified according to traditional Buddhist customs and not by Chinese authorities as he prepares to mark his 90th birthday.
The Dalai Lama has confirmed that the Tibetan Buddhist institution he leads will continue after his death, ending years of speculation over whether he would be the last spiritual leader of his kind. Speaking at a religious gathering in Dharamshala ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday, the exiled Tibetan leader insisted that the search for his reincarnation must follow traditional Buddhist practices not Chinese government mandates.
“The process of finding and recognising the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama lies solely with the Gaden Phodrang Trust,” he said in a recorded message aired at the event. “No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s remarks come amid heightened concerns that China may attempt to impose its own choice of the next Dalai Lama in a bid to extend political control over Tibet’s religious institutions. Beijing has repeatedly said that the reincarnation must be found within China’s Tibetan regions and approved by the central government.
Tibetan Buddhists, however, believe the Dalai Lama can choose the body into which he is reincarnated a spiritual process that has occurred 14 times since the institution’s inception in 1587. The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was identified as the 14th incarnation in 1940 and fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
He has lived in exile in India ever since, advocating for greater autonomy for Tibetans.
In reaffirming the continuity of the institution, the Dalai Lama warned his followers to reject any Beijing-appointed successor. His position is backed by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the government-in-exile he once led before stepping down from political duties in 2011.
Penpa Tsering, president of the CTA, said Tibetans around the world had urged the Dalai Lama to allow the succession to continue. “In response to this overwhelming supplication, His Holiness has shown infinite compassion and finally agreed to accept our appeal,” Tsering said at a press conference.
He also warned China against using the reincarnation process for political gain. “This is a unique Tibetan Buddhist tradition,” he said. “We strongly condemn the People’s Republic of China’s attempt to politicize it and will never accept any successor named by Beijing.”
China, however, reiterated its position on Wednesday. “The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must adhere to the principles of domestic search in China,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing, adding that the process must follow Chinese laws and regulations.
Human rights groups have criticised Beijing’s stance. Amnesty International’s China Director Sarah Brooks called Chinese efforts to interfere in the process a “direct assault on the right to freedom of religion.”
“The Tibetan Buddhist community, like any other, must be free to select its spiritual leaders without coercion or political interference,” Brooks said.
Traditionally, the search for a new Dalai Lama begins only after the incumbent’s death. The process can take years, with senior monks looking for signs of the reincarnated child before grooming the successor to take on the spiritual mantle.
Despite China’s claims, the Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated that his reincarnation will likely be found outside Chinese territory setting the stage for a future in which rival Dalai Lamas could emerge, one chosen by senior Tibetan monks and one appointed by Beijing.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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