For Tibetans In Exile, Unspoken Worries About Who Will Be The Next Dalai Lama
As the 14th Dalai Lama turns 90 on Sunday, the issue of his succession has become increasingly pressing.
For exiled Tibetans, the question of the next Dalai Lama is not merely a matter of preserving their spiritual and cultural heritage, but also crucial for their political continuity. The Tibetan community in exile lived through loss and displacement. They carry a nation in their memories and a leader in their prayers.
"We exist because of the Dalai Lama. Only His Holiness and his trust have the sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation," said Ngodup Choephel, 52, RWA president of New Aruna Nagar Colony, home to many exiled Tibetans.
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The current Dalai Lama said on Wednesday the institution of the Dalai Lama would continue, and that Gaden Phodrang Trust, founded by him, has the sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation.
He said "no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter", after China is likely to choose a successor of its own.
For Majnu Ka Tila's Tibetans, it's a matter of their identity. "Dalai Lama is our main leader... It's who we are," said Tenzing Tsundue, 47, who was born and raised in Himachal Pradesh in India and now runs a business in Delhi. "Dalai Lama is a messenger of peace and everyone wants peace. China has never recognised or believed in the Dalai Lama, then why is it suddenly interested in choosing a successor of its own?" he added.
Asked about the possibility of having two Dalai Lamas: one backed by Tibetans and another chosen by China, Tashi Lhamo, who is president of the Regional Tibetan Women's Association, emphasised that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama will be done only through the trust of the Dalai Lama.
"The Chinese Communist Party doesn't have any legitimacy or right to interfere in the reincarnation process of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
They themselves are atheists and they don't believe in religion as they consider religion to be poison. They destroy big monasteries," she said.
Beijing, she added, is likely to appoint their own reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, which will be a fake Dalai Lama. "All the followers of the 14th Dalai Lama will consider only the one who is recognised and appointed by the trust of the Dalai Lama. The institution of the Dalai Lama has continued from the 1st till the 14th.
It will continue to 15, 16 and more," she said.
Sonam Phelguyal, 39, a second-generation Tibetan living in Delhi, recalled that his father fled Tibet a few decades ago but was arrested at the Nepal border.
"After spending almost seven years in prison, he was released and then he settled in India. Though I was born in Delhi, I went to Tibet in 2007 for four months. I had to apply for a visa to visit my own country. In Tibet, which is under the control of China, we cannot say the name of the Dalai Lama or carry the nation's flag or take any photographs.
If anyone flouts their rules, he or she is immediately arrested," said Phelguyal, who is part of a committee busy organising the celebration of the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama at Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) school in Majnu Ka Tila.
As the Tibetan community observes the 90th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama as the year of compassion from July 6, 2025, to July 5, 2026, many events have been planned across Delhi over the next few months, from photo exhibitions to panel discussions on the four principal commitments of the Dalai Lama.
However, since the main event will take place at TCV school on Sunday, the venue has already become a hive of activity. TCV is a day school for Tibetan refugee settlement in Delhi. After school hours, young students have been keeping busy in energetic rehearsals of their cultural dance and play recital. The day-long celebration at TCV will start with a prayer at 9am Sunday, followed by cake cutting, traditional dances, and speeches.
Nawang, a teacher at TCV, said due to the Dalai Lama, she is in the education field. "As His Holiness shows righteous paths to people, I decided to enter the teaching profession to mould young minds. However, most of the community members are not concerned about the next reincarnation as we believe that the Dalai Lama will stay for longer," she said.
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