Latest news with #TenzinGyatso
Sky News
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Dalai Lama says his successor to be born outside China - but Beijing says it is their decision
The Dalai Lama has said his successor will be born outside China - but Beijing says it will choose the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. In a new book published on Tuesday, the 89-year-old reversed his previous position that he may be the last in the line of spiritual leaders. It's the first time the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan country in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, has stated his successor would be born in the "free world", meaning outside China. He has previously said only that he could reincarnate outside Tibet, possibly in India where he lives in exile. But Beijing has dismissed him as a "separatist", who, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson, has "no right to represent the Tibetan people at all". In Voice for the Voiceless, which was reviewed by Reuters, he writes that Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to carry on after his death. "Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama - that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people - will continue," he writes. His homeland, he writes, remains "in the grip of repressive Communist Chinese rule" and that the campaign for the freedom of the Tibetan people will continue "no matter what", even after his death. "The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression. "One clear lesson we know from history is this: If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society." Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping the Tibetan cause alive. Beijing has insisted it will choose his successor, but the Dalai Lama has said any Chinese candidate would not be respected. Asked about the book on Tuesday, Mao Ning told reporters: "The lineage of the Dalai Lama living Buddha was formed and developed in China's Tibet, and his religious status and name were also determined by (China's) central government." The Dalai Lama has said he will release details about his succession around his 90th birthday in July.
Sky News
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Dalai Lama says his successor to be born outside China
The Dalai Lama has said his successor as spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism will be born outside China, risking the anger of Beijing. In a new book published on Tuesday, the 89-year-old reversed his previous position that he may be the last in the line of spiritual leaders. It's the first time the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan country in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, has stated his successor would be born in the "free world", meaning outside China. He has previously said only that he could reincarnate outside Tibet, possibly in India where he lives in exile. In Voice for the Voiceless, which was reviewed by Reuters, he writes that Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to carry on after his death. "Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama - that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people - will continue," he writes. His homeland, he writes, remains "in the grip of repressive Communist Chinese rule" and that the campaign for the freedom of the Tibetan people will continue "no matter what", even after his death. "The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression. "One clear lesson we know from history is this: If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society." Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping the Tibetan cause alive. But Beijing has dismissed him as a "separatist", who, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson, has "no right to represent the Tibetan people at all". Asked about the book on Tuesday, Mao Ning told reporters: "The lineage of the Dalai Lama living Buddha was formed and developed in China's Tibet, and his religious status and name were also determined by (China's) central government." Beijing has insisted it will choose his successor, but the Dalai Lama has said any Chinese candidate would not be respected. The Dalai Lama has said he will release details about his succession around his 90th birthday in July.
Sky News
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Dalai Lama says his successor will be from outside China in change of stance
The Dalai Lama has said his successor as spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism will be born outside China, risking the anger of Beijing. In a new book published on Tuesday, the 89-year-old reversed his previous position that he may be the last in the line of spiritual leaders. It's the first time the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan country in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, has stated his successor would be born in the "free world", meaning outside China. He has previously said only that he could reincarnate outside Tibet, possibly in India where he lives in exile. In Voice for the Voiceless, which was reviewed by Reuters, he writes that Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to carry on after his death. "Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama - that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people - will continue," he writes. His homeland, he writes, remains "in the grip of repressive Communist Chinese rule" and that the campaign for the freedom of the Tibetan people will continue "no matter what", even after his death. "The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression. "One clear lesson we know from history is this: If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society." Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping the Tibetan cause alive. But Beijing has dismissed him as a "separatist", who, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson, has "no right to represent the Tibetan people at all". Asked about the book on Tuesday, Mao Ning told reporters: "The lineage of the Dalai Lama living Buddha was formed and developed in China's Tibet, and his religious status and name were also determined by (China's) central government." Beijing has insisted it will choose his successor, but the Dalai Lama has said any Chinese candidate would not be respected. The Dalai Lama has said he will release details about his succession around his 90th birthday in July.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Dalai Lama says his successor will be born in ‘free world' outside China
The Dalai Lama's successor will be born outside China, the spiritual leader said in his new book. This is the first time the 89-year-old Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader has explicitly said that his reincarnation will take place in the 'free world' to ensure the continuation of the Tibetan cause. China has previously insisted that it will choose his successor, but the Dalai Lama rejects this, warning that any Beijing -appointed figure will not be respected. He stated in his book ' Voice for the Voiceless: Over Seven Decades of Struggle with China for My Land and My People' – an account of his dealings with Chinese leaders – that Tibet remained 'in the grip of repressive Communist Chinese rule' and that the struggle for its freedom will persist 'no matter what', even after his death. 'Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama — that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people — will continue,' the Dalai Lama wrote in his book, which was released on Tuesday in the US. China sees Tibet as an integral part of its territory and views calls for autonomy or independence as threats to its sovereignty. The Dalai Lama, who resigned as the political leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile in 2011 to prioritise his spiritual role, has denied seeking Tibetan independence. Instead, he advocates the 'Middle Way' approach, which calls for greater autonomy for the predominantly Buddhist region. In 1959, at the age of 23, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, escaped to India with thousands of Tibetans following a failed revolt against Communist rule under Mao Zedong and set up a government in exile. Beijing regards the Dalai Lama as a 'separatist' despite his 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded for his nonviolent advocacy of the Tibetan cause. At a press briefing on Monday, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry dismissed the Dalai Lama as 'a political exile who is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion. 'On the Tibet issue, China's position is consistent and clear. What the Dalai Lama says and does cannot change the objective fact of Tibet's prosperity and development.' According to Tibetan beliefs, the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reborn as a child after his death. The current Dalai Lama was enthroned when he was four and a half years old and renamed Tenzin Gyatso. He had earlier suggested that the lineage of spiritual leaders could end with him. In his book, however, the Dalai Lama states that for over a decade, he has received numerous petitions from a diverse range of Tibetans, including senior monks and those living both within Tibet and abroad, 'uniformly asking me to ensure that the Dalai Lama lineage be continued'. The Dalai Lama has announced plans to share details about his succession around his 90th birthday in July. Observers note that China seeks to control Tibetans by interfering in the selection of the Dalai Lama. In response to China's threat, the 14th Dalai Lama has made several statements over the years which were aimed at undermining the legitimacy of any 15th Dalai Lama appointed by Beijing. In April 2019, US Senator Cory Gardner said during a Senate Foreign Relations Asia Subcommittee hearing that Congress would not recognise any Dalai Lama appointed by the Chinese government. Set for release on Tuesday, the 14th Dalai Lama's book will be published in the US by William Morrow and in Britain by HarperNonFiction, with HarperCollins editions to follow in India and other countries. 'Almost seventy-five years after China's initial invasion of Tibet, the Dalai Lama reminds the world of Tibet's unresolved struggle for freedom and the hardship his people continue to face in their own homeland,' Harper Collins says on its website about the book. 'He offers his thoughts on the geopolitics of the region and shares how he personally was able to preserve his own humanity through the profound losses and challenges that threaten the very survival of the Tibetan people.'
Al Arabiya
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Dalai Lama says his successor will be born outside China
The Dalai Lama's successor will be born outside China, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism says in a new book, raising the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of the Himalayan region he fled more than six decades ago. Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to continue after the 89-year-old's death, he writes in 'Voice for the Voiceless', which was reviewed by Reuters and is being released on Tuesday. He had previously said the line of spiritual leaders might end with him. His book marks the first time the Dalai Lama has specified that his successor would be born in the 'free world', which he describes as outside China. He has previously said only that he could reincarnate outside Tibet, possibly in India where he lives in exile. 'Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama - that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people - will continue,' the Dalai Lama writes. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled at the age of 23 to India with thousands of other Tibetans in 1959 after a failed uprising against the rule of Mao Zedong's Communists. China brands the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping alive the Tibetan cause, as a 'separatist.' The Dalai Lama is a political exile who has 'no right to represent the Tibetan people at all,' said a spokesperson at China's foreign ministry when asked about the book at a regular news conference in Beijing on Tuesday. Beijing insists it will choose his successor, but the Dalai Lama has said any successor named by China would not be respected. 'The lineage of the Dalai Lama living Buddha was formed and developed in China's Tibet, and his religious status and name were also determined by (China's) central government,' said Mao Ning, the Chinese spokesperson. 'The 14th Dalai Lama himself was identified in accordance with religious rituals and historical conventions, and this was submitted to the then central government to approve the succession.' 'Repressive communist Chinese rule' Beijing said last month it hoped the Dalai Lama would 'return to the right path' and that it was open to discussing his future if he met such conditions as recognising that Tibet and Taiwan are inalienable parts of China, whose sole legal government is that of the People's Republic of China. That proposal has been rejected by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile in India. Supporters of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan cause include Richard Gere, a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, and Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the US House of Representatives. His followers have been worried about his health, especially after knee surgery last year. He told Reuters in December that he might live to be 110. In his book, the Dalai Lama says he has received numerous petitions for more than a decade from a wide spectrum of Tibetan people, including senior monks and Tibetans living in Tibet and outside, 'uniformly asking me to ensure that the Dalai Lama lineage be continued'. Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death. The current Dalai Lama was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor when he was two. The book, which the Dalai Lama calls an account of his dealings with Chinese leaders over seven decades, is being published on Tuesday in the US by William Morrow and in Britain by HarperNonFiction, with HarperCollins publications to follow in India and other countries. The Dalai Lama, who has said he will release details about his succession around his 90th birthday in July, writes that his homeland remains 'in the grip of repressive Communist Chinese rule' and that the campaign for the freedom of the Tibetan people will continue 'no matter what', even after his death. He expressed faith in the Tibetan government and parliament-in-exile, based with him in India's Himalayan city of Dharamshala, to carry on the political work for the Tibetan cause. 'The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression,' he writes. 'One clear lesson we know from history is this: if you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society.' Given his advanced age, he writes, his hopes of going back to Tibet look 'increasingly unlikely.'
