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Indian Express
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Why India must rethink its Tibet policy
The July 2 announcement by the 14th Dalai Lama stating that the traditional process of his reincarnation will continue is an occasion to examine Indian and Chinese responses, the reasons for the Dalai Lama's decision and to ask the question of what Indian policy going ahead should be. Now that the Dalai Lama has made his position clear, what is the best possible outcome for India? That the next Dalai Lama is born in India? That the next Dalai Lama is not born in India and, therefore, does not complicate its ties with China? Or, that there will be two Dalai Lamas, leaving open the option of another 'Tibet card' for India to use in the future? The fact that there has never been and continues to be no answer from the Indian government to these questions and that speculation and talk of moral obligations take the place of policy is perhaps the sum and substance of India's Tibet card today. Central and state ministers did claim China had no business interfering in the Dalai Lama's succession. The Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations saw Indian ministers in attendance and the Prime Minister tweet his birthday greetings. These actions are certainly examples of India's assertiveness vis-à-vis China but they are also episodic in nature – there is no guarantee that they form part of consistent policy or will be replicated. Consider the contrast with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement on July 4. In the typically terse manner it reserves for matters Chinese, the Ministry merely declared that 'Government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion'. The day after the Prime Minister's tweet, the Chinese responded by urging India to be 'fully cognisant of the sensitivity of issues related to [Tibet]', and to 'act prudently'. In a statement released the same day as the announcement in Dharmshala, China announced that at the end of 2024, the number of Tibetan members in the Communist Party of China's branch in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) stood at over 375,000. This figure is 2.5 times larger than the Tibetan exile population. This numbers game also informs another public statement that draws on historical, legal and religious arguments – even if specious ones – to explain why the 'reincarnation of Living Buddhas must follow the principle of respecting the sentiments of lay followers… within China, rather than in places where Tibetan Buddhism is not traditionally practised'. It might be easy to dismiss such a statement as hypocritical but given China's economic and media resources, its narrative will dominate in many parts of the world, including in India's immediate neighbourhood. It is important to understand that the Dalai Lama's decision to stick to the traditional way of reincarnation instead of some of the innovative alternatives he had been suggesting for years means that Chinese pressure has worked. Externally, this pressure involved a decades-long high-decibel campaign around the world to delegitimise the Tibetan leader and to force countries to count the economic costs of opposing China on the issue. Internally, despite the Communist Party's questionable historical claim over Tibet and its fragile legitimacy among Tibetan population, it has entrenched itself deeply in Tibetan society with heavy investment in internal security and control over religious institutions. It has effectively remade the political-administrative system with more Han Chinese and a new generation of 'sinicised Tibetan leaders' at the helm of affairs. While the Dalai Lama has entrusted the Gaden Phodrang Trust with the task of identifying the next reincarnation, a traditional process is one that is weighted against the Tibetan exile community – not only will it take several years to find the next reincarnation, it will also take a decade and more or possibly decades after the discovery for the next Dalai Lama, if he is born outside China, to find his feet and global acceptance, if at all. Given the zero-sum approach of the Chinese Party-state, there is no point to New Delhi constraining itself on issues related to Tibet or its borders. Clarity of communication with Beijing about Indian interests is essential. The most important step India must take is to acknowledge and state explicitly that what happens in the wider Tibetan region, including TAR, affects India too. First, Tibetan Buddhism has adherents in India's border communities and access to the Kailash Manasarovar is important for its Hindus. India also cannot simply fall in with Chinese claims that Tibet was historically part of China. Historical and cultural linkages, therefore, have their place in international politics and those with Tibet need to be seen not through the lens only of the Dalai Lama or the Tibetan exile community but India's own interests. Second, Tibet is important to India because of a live boundary dispute with China. It is China's insecurities inside Tibet (and Xinjiang) and its refusal to understand that India has no territorial ambitions over these regions that have led to the persistence of the dispute. As long as these insecurities continue, the dispute, too, will continue. Neither idealistic notions of Tibet as a zone of peace nor plans for trade and connectivity across the Himalayan gap can be entertained. The Dalai Lama might have done India a favour by choosing a traditional reincarnation process. His decision sets aside for the foreseeable future any real influence that the institution can exercise on India-China relations. This should encourage New Delhi to clarify its policies towards China. Jacob is director and Kumar is associate fellow at the Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR
The Diplomat
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
India's Dalai Lama Reincarnation Dilemma
The strategic implications of the Dalai Lama's reincarnation have been well known for years, but the changing international context has complicated India's plans. The 14th Dalai Lama announced his reincarnation plans on July 2 – and, in doing so, confronted India with the prospect of a huge crisis in its relations with China after his passing. For India such a prospect is hardly new. What is new, however, is the international context. It is this context that is likely to make New Delhi's policy choices after the Dalai Lama's reincarnation more difficult. The Dalai Lama's reincarnation plans, presented in his July 2 statement, and their strategic implications have long been expected. Despite years of public musings that he might not choose reincarnation or identify an external emanation to succeed him, there was little doubt that the Dalai Lama will be reincarnated. All other options would have undermined both the institution of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan movement he leads. His public musings about alternative plans likely sought to disorient Beijing and pressure it to negotiate. The only surprises in the Dalai Lama's announcement were its mildness, compared to his 2011 statement, and the fact that it did not say that he will be reincarnated outside China. These surprises might be part of an effort to seek a negotiated agreement with Beijing but are unlikely to change the big picture. Two claimants are likely to emerge after the passing of the current Dalai Lama: one supported by Beijing in China's Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and one supported by the Tibetan movement and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala, India. This prospect presents New Delhi with a huge dilemma. If two Dalai Lamas emerge, the Indian government will have to recognize one of them, either officially or in practice. And India will have to choose the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala for moral, domestic, and strategic reasons. Not only is the Dalai Lama deeply revered inside India, with many Indians feeling that their country has a moral obligation to help both him and the Tibetan movement, but New Delhi likely recognizes that the Dalai Lama represents an important lever vis-à-vis China, India's so-called 'Tibet card.' However, supporting the Dalai Lama claimant in Dharamsala will be perceived by China as a direct challenge to Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. China's retaliation is likely to be severe and might involve provocations along the disputed border, increased support for separatists in India's unstable Northeast, or shifts in Beijing's position on the Kashmir dispute. Hence, the reincarnation dilemma for India is not which Dalai Lama to choose but how to support the one in Dharamsala without provoking a huge crisis in relations with China. Behind this dilemma lurk the bigger questions about the future of the CTA and Tibetan movement in India as well as the role of the Tibet issue in China-India relations. Fortunately, India has long prepared to confront the reincarnation dilemma. New Delhi has likely drawn plans or at least carefully considered how to handle the complex politics of the reincarnation, the possibility of mass instability in Tibet after the Dalai Lama's passing, and Beijing's policy responses to these and to India's positions. Unfortunately, the changing international context has complicated India's plans. There are four ways in which the international context of the Dalai Lama's reincarnation in recent years has shifted and, hence, made New Delhi's reincarnation dilemma more difficult. First, the rivalry between China and India has greatly intensified, raising the likelihood of conflict. While even in the best of times, the Dalai Lama's passing would have produced tensions, at present it might provoke a crisis that will deliver a heavy blow to the shaky foundations of the China-India relationship. In the worst-case scenario, it might even be the straw that will turn the two sides into full-blown adversaries. Second, the territorial dispute between China and India has escalated in recent years, particularly after the deadly Galwan clash of 2020. As there has long been an intimate connection between the Tibet issue and the territorial dispute, the reincarnation dilemma might easily scupper any chance for progress on the dispute or reignite military tensions. Importantly, as Beijing has historically used the territorial dispute to pressure India on Tibet-related issues, it is likely to do so again after the Dalai Lama's reincarnation. Third, the ongoing China-U.S. Cold War has reshaped the international environment. This environment has made Beijing more sensitive to external challenges, with the reincarnation likely to be one, and more willing to respond harshly to them. As the United States has consistently been a leading supporter of Dharamsala, the reincarnation might easily turn into a flashpoint in the China-U.S. Cold War, which would reduce New Delhi's ability to manage tensions around the reincarnation. The fallout of these tensions will affect India as Beijing retaliates against New Delhi, which it will suspect of colluding with Washington. Finally, the international position of the Dalai Lama and the CTA have weakened in recent years. Internationally support for them has declined under Chinese pressure, in tandem with the weakening of the Tibetan community on Indian soil, and the strengthening of Beijing's position in Tibet. Admittedly, this has slightly reduced Beijing's great sensitivity on the issue. But it also means that New Delhi will have to play a much bigger role in sustaining the CTA and establishing the Dharamsala Dalai Lama in the difficult times after the passing of the current one. This increased Indian role will antagonize China even further and invite its response. In sum, the Dalai Lama's reincarnation presents India with an old and very consequential dilemma, put in a new context which makes it harder. This does not mean that the reincarnation will certainly produce a huge crisis in China-India relations. After all, if the two sides communicate and manage the reincarnation carefully, tensions will remain within tolerable limits. Nevertheless, it means that New Delhi's reincarnation dilemma will be more acute and its policy responses to it will have to be more skillful. A version of this piece was previously published on the website of the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore (NUS).
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Could there be two Dalai Lamas? Spiritual leader's statement portends clash with China
Could there eventually be two Dalai Lamas? The 14th Dalai Lama's announcement in early July that he will reincarnate as Tibetan Buddhism's next spiritual leader reassured worried followers. But the statement also foreshadowed a confrontation with China over who gets to choose his successor – and the chance that parallel efforts could be conducted to do so. Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk upon his death is reincarnated in the body of a child, who must be identified and then trained in Buddhist practice. In his declaration, the 90-year-old Dalai Lama said Gaden Phodrang, the foundation he created to uphold the Dalai Lama tradition, will have sole authority to recognize his successor. 'They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition,' he said. 'No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.' Beijing insists that it does. "The reincarnation and succession of the Dalai Lama is inherently an internal affair of China," said Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in India — where the Dalai Lama has lived in exile since 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet — in one of a series of posts about the matter on the social platform X. She described the Nobel Laureate as 'a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion.' Janet Gyatso, a professor of Buddhist studies at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said that should China opt to pursue its own selection process, it wouldn't be the first time Buddhism has dealt with a dispute over the identity of the reincarnated Dalai Lama. "What they (China) will do is not easy to say," Gyatso said. "But the political stakes are much higher than they've ever been.' A decades-old conflict About 100,000 Tibetans live in exile, the majority of them in India, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C. Nicole Willock, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, said China's rebuke of the Dalai Lama's declaration illustrates an ongoing effort to belittle Tibet into irrelevance. 'The current CCP (Chinese Communist Party) policy under Xi Jinping is to isolate the Dalai Lama as he ages, forcing international corporations and anyone who wants to do business with China to forget about Tibet,' she said. As an example, she cited 'Ghost of the Mountains,' a Disney documentary feature about snow leopards – the national animal of Tibet – which she said makes no mention of Tibet, instead using Chinese terms to refer to it and the Tibetan plateau. China colonized Tibet in the mid-20th century, at a time when African and Asian nations were gaining independence from colonial powers. In 1959, a failed uprising saw the Dalai Lama flee Tibet for northern India, where he set up a government in exile, which China has since refused to recognize. Now, both sides are clashing over who gets to choose the Dalai Lama's successor. 'This is a history that the current PRC (People's Republic of China) regime wants the world to ignore,' Willock said. 'The CCP thinks if they control who the next Dalai Lama is that they will control the narrative on Tibet.' How the Dalai Lama reincarnates The announcement on July 2 by one of the world's most influential religious figures, whose sway extends far beyond Buddhism, offered relief to those puzzled by his previous public musings over whether the tradition of Dalai Lama leadership should endure or defer to a democratically elected authority. It also answered the wishes of followers who've held ever more frequent ceremonies wishing him good health and longevity while calling for his reincarnated return. 'Tibetans really want to have a Dalai Lama,' Gyatso said. The 14th Dalai Lama, born in 1935 as Lhamo Dhondup and enthroned in 1940, is a living example of the Tibetan Buddhist practice of recognizing reincarnations of previous Lamas who continue their work in the new reincarnation. While the faith holds that everyone reincarnates, Gyatso said, only those who are highly enlightened, such as the Dalai Lama, can choose where they will do so. 'They can choose what mother and father they will be born to, in the best conditions to continue their work,' she said. However, once that happens the reincarnation must be pinpointed and recognized as such, a process handled 'by highly evolved monks and specialists,' she said. 'There's a whole bunch of tests and methods done, usually when the child is about 3 or 4 years old.' In his statement, the Dalai Lama said his nonprofit foundation would oversee the succession process in consultation with his closest advisers and leaders of various Tibetan Buddhism traditions. Jose Cabezon, a professor emeritus of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said the declaration marked the first time the Dalai Lama had been so definitive about the certainty of a 15th Dalai Lama and how that person would be chosen. While offering 'a great sense of relief' to Tibetans, he said, the statement's specificity was also 'a warning to the PRC government not to meddle in this process.' Deciding who the real Dalai Lama is What could happen, Gyatso said, is that two Dalai Lamas may be raised concurrently – one who becomes head of the Tibetan government in exile, and the other who assumes some as yet undefined role in China, which has said it will oversee selection of the Dalai Lama's successor through a timeworn imperial ritual in which names of possible reincarnations are drawn from a golden urn. 'What we're expecting to happen is that they (China) will conduct their own process,' Gyatso said. 'The Tibetans and the rest of the world will decide who they think is the real Dalai Lama.' Should such a scenario unfold, she said, most Tibetans outside China would likely follow the Dalai Lama in exile, while Tibetans inside China would be under enormous political pressure to accept the government-endorsed figurehead. Cabezon said Beijing's insistence on appointing the Dalai Lama's successor is ironic given that the government eschews religion and considers reincarnation to be superstitious. 'Beijing will undoubtedly appoint a 15th Dalai Lama and promote that boy as the 'true' Dalai Lama,' Cabezon said. But he believes that choice 'will have little legitimacy in the eyes of Tibetans.' Could a split have an upside? Gyatso said the Tibetan community 'is very upset' about the potential dichotomy. 'They don't want the confusion of having two Dalai Lamas,' she said. Nonetheless, she said, such a situation might not be without benefit. 'If the Chinese government wants to recognize its own Dalai Lama, let them give him genuine Buddhist training and upbringing, just like the current Dalai Lama got and the next one will,' Gyatso said. 'Let him study Buddhist philosophy and ethics. If they can produce a Dalai Lama with wisdom and the ability to reach a lot of people with the important teachings of Buddhism, that would be great.' The challenge for both, she said, will be producing a leader on the scale of the present Dalai Lama, who has been not only an influential Buddhist leader but respected on the world stage as well, addressing issues such as environmentalism and neuroscience. 'Let's see you both train and educate in the best way,' Gyatso said. 'If they're both great leaders with wisdom, then they won't be in competition; they'll visit and collaborate. That will be the test…. The way we'll know who's really the Dalai Lama is by (seeing) who is able to develop the wisdom and ethical leadership recognized by people all over the world. If we have two of them and they're both great, I'll be happy, because two is better than one.'
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First Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Golden urn or Chinese political tool? The future of the Dalai Lama institution
It is indeed ironic that an atheist State believes in 'religious rituals' and has suddenly become knowledgeable in an esoteric issue such as the soul migration read more Advertisement Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama speaks in a video broadcast at the start of the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference, a meeting of religious leaders in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala on July 2, 2025. (Photo: Sanjay Baid/AFP) A lot has recently been written since the Dalai Lama's statement of July 2; as promised in November 2011, a press release of the Tibetan leader reaffirms that the Institution of the Dalai Lamas will continue. The Tibetan leader also reiterated, '…responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama'; it will be 'the sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.' It was a clear message to China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Beijing was quick to react; The Global Times asserted, '[The Dalai Lama's] intention remains the same—to deny the traditional religious rituals and historical conventions that have governed the Dalai Lama reincarnation system for centuries, and to manipulate the reincarnation process for his own purposes.' It is indeed ironic that an atheist State believes in 'religious rituals' and has suddenly become knowledgeable in an esoteric issue such as the soul migration. Apart from the statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing and the Chinese Ambassador in Delhi, other groups in China have put their views forth. On July 3, the Buddhist Association of China reacted to the Dalai Lama's announcement: 'The central government has the right to make the final decision on the reincarnation, which is by no means subject to the 14th Dalai Lama's individual discretion.' The Association added, 'Throughout the historical process of the searches for the spiritual successors of Dalai Lamas, a complete set of traditional religious rituals and historical conventions has been developed.' The Golden Urn The statement put forward Communist China's favourite ritual, the Golden Urn: 'Since the establishment of the lot-drawing ceremony from the golden urn, the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama has required adherence to the drawing of lots from the golden urn procedure, with the selected candidate subject to approval by China's central government. This process is the only way for the candidate to earn public credibility and religious authority.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Buddhist Association only forgot to mention that the Golden Urn has seldom been used in Tibet. It was only when the Tibetan State was weak during the 19th century that the Chinese Amban, representing the Manchu Court in Lhasa, imposed it on the Tibetans for the 8th and 9th Panchen Lamas and the 10th Dalai Lama. That does not add up to much… Retrospectively, Beijing admitted that in 1940 Lhamo Dhondup, the present Dalai Lama, had been 'exempted' from the ritual that Beijing wants now to impose on his successor. In January 2021, The Global Times published a long article dealing with the ritual; the article starts by saying, 'It is well-known that the reincarnation of the living Buddhas is by no means a purely religious affair.' Then, it explained how the Communist Party sees the process: 'Due to the prominent and leading role of the influential living Buddhas, various political and religious forces in Tibetan society vied for dominant power and control over the reincarnation of the living Buddhas.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It concluded that the reincarnation system 'gradually lost its original meaning and caused great harm to the Dharma as well as endangering social stability and national security. Therefore, the then central government adopted the system of lot-drawing from a golden urn in 1793 to improve the reincarnation order of the living Buddhas.' It explained further: 'The current Dalai Lama was enthroned in the Potala Palace on February 22, 1940, during a ceremony presided over by Wu Zhongxin, minister of the Commission for Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs …the boy with the reincarnated soul of the 13th Dalai Lama [was enthroned] without the requirement of carrying out the established method of drawing a lot from the golden urn.' The report that Wu Zhongxin presided is simply untrue; he was merely an invitee to the ceremony and had nothing to do with the 'recognition' of the 14th Dalai Lama. The Practice Having seen the theory of the 'Golden Urn', it is necessary to study the facts of this rarely used ritual. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We have a trustworthy record of a Tibetan Lama, Arjia Rinpoche, who attended the ceremony (one could call it a farce) for the selection of the 11th Panchen Lama. Was it a rehearsal for the recognition of the 15th Dalai Lama? In his book 'Surviving the Dragon: A Tibetan Lama's Account of 40 Years under Chinese Rule', Arjia Rinpoche, then Abbot of the Kumbum monastery in today's Qinghai Province and also a member of the 'selection committee' for the Panchen Lama, recounted what happened after the Tenth Panchen Lama passed away, under mysterious circumstances, while on a visit to Tibet. The Chinese government formed a 'search team' under Gyayak Rinpoche, the Panchen Lama's dharma teacher. Chadrel Rinpoche, abbot of the Panchen Lama's Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, and Arjia Rinpoche were to assist the old Lama. Arjia noted, 'The Chinese government trusted Chadrel Rinpoche to do their bidding … asking only that he report frequently to the central government on his progress.' Chadrel Rinpoche was clear that it was Tashi Lhunpo monastery's responsibility to discover the newly born Lama. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The problem started after Gyayak's demise, when Beijing discovered that Chadrel Rinpoche had secretly been in contact with the Dalai Lama to find a 'consensus' candidate: 'The Tibetans clearly wanted the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to be the final voice,' noted Arjia, who further recalled, 'On May 14, 1995, I was stunned by the news that, in India, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama had announced the name of the reincarnated Eleventh Panchen Lama. My immediate fear was that the Chinese government would not accept his decision. … And I was right.' Beijing was furious that the Dalai Lama had 'unilaterally' decided on the new incarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama. At that time, observed Arjia, 'The Tibetans clearly wanted the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to be the final arbiter of the identity of the true reincarnation of the Panchen Lama.' Events started to heat up in early November 1995, when an emergency meeting was called in Beijing to 'clarify' the Communist Party's position. According to the former Abbot of Kumbum, 'This was when I learnt that Chadrel Rinpoche had been arrested. …[then], we were bombarded with statements like 'We must not allow the Dalai's separatist clique to interfere in the Golden Urn Ceremony.'' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Three points were on the meeting's agenda. Eliminating from contention the boy selected by the Dalai Lama (Gedun Choekyi Nyima, who since then has been under house arrest); Denouncing and removing Chadrel Rinpoche from his official position on the search team; and Mandating a Golden Urn Ceremony. The rinpoches present had no choice but to accept Beijing's diktat. The Communist officials told the lamas, 'The Golden Urn Ceremony will take place tonight, so please be prepared. … If a separatist clique [followers of the Dalai Lama] attempts any disruption of the ceremony, everyone will be protected [by the police].' The ceremony was held on November 29, 1995, at 2 am: 'We were called together and ushered into vehicles bound for Jokhang Temple. Although the night was dark, again we could see soldiers in their heavy bulletproof vests every few steps along the deserted streets. … As we walked toward the statue of the Buddha [the famous Jowo], we saw undercover policemen standing in every corner and shadow.' Arjia Rinpoche continued the narration of the dramatic event: 'In front of the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha was a large table covered with a yellow silk cloth. Alone on the table stood a golden urn about 15 inches high, surrounded by seated high officials.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Luo Gan, a State Counsellor (and later, a member of the Politburo's Standing Committee), and Gyaltsen Norbu (the TAR governor) were present. Then the ceremony began: 'Inside the gold urn was a small case, which contained three ivory lots, an inch wide and seven or eight inches long, with cloud scrolls etched at one end. The names of the three candidates were written on three separate pieces of paper and pasted to the ivory sticks, each of which was then slipped into a tightly fitted pouch of yellow silk. … The three ivory lots were placed into the Golden Urn.' Bumi Rinpoche, who had been appointed Ganden Tripa (throne holder of the Yellow School) by Beijing, drew the lot. The name of the 'selected' candidate was Gyaltsen Norbu, like the governor. Arjia remembered: 'When we made our selection, we left nothing to chance. In the silk pouches of the ivory pieces, we put a bit of cotton at the bottom of one of them so it would be a little higher than the others and the right candidate would be chosen.' The pedigree of Norbu was considered the best. That was it. Nothing could be done: 'Jamyang Shepa Rinpoche and I kept silent, our heads lowered,' wrote Arjia. Years later Arjia managed to escape to the US. After three decades, Gedun Choekyi Nyima, selected by the Dalai Lama as the Panchen Lama, is still under house arrest somewhere in China. A tragic farce, indeed—and a rehearsal for the 15th Dalai Lama. The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
News18
06-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
'Reincarnation Not His Call': Chinese Envoy To India Counters Dalai Lama On Succession
Last Updated: The statement follows the 14th Dalai Lama's confirmation of a succession plan, in which he asserted that the decision would rest with a trust, not the Chinese government Amid the ongoing debate around the succession of the Dalai Lama, the Chinese Ambassador to India said on Sunday that the 14th Dalai Lama does not hold the authority to decide whether the centuries-old reincarnation system will 'continue or be abolished". The statement comes after the 14th Dalai Lama confirmed his succession plan, in which he asserted that the decision would rest with a trust, not the Chinese government, and made it clear for the first time that he believes he will be reincarnated. 'The reincarnation of Dalai Lamas neither began from him nor will end due to him," Ambassador Xu Feihong wrote on X, adding that the current Dalai Lama is only one part of a long-standing religious tradition spanning over 700 years. Referring to the practice of Living Buddha reincarnation as a 'unique succession method of Tibetan Buddhism," the envoy said the system is active and widespread, with over 1,000 reincarnation lineages currently present in Xizang (Tibet) and Tibetan-inhabited regions of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, and Qinghai. Dalai Lama On Succession In a long-awaited statement, he announced that the process of identifying his successor would begin with consultations involving spiritual leaders, the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, and other key stakeholders. Beijing responded swiftly, reiterating its claim that any reincarnation must be approved by China's central government. It pointed to a 2007 regulation passed in Tibet asserting state authority over the recognition of reincarnated lamas — a position rejected by the global Tibetan community. First Published:
