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The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Dalai Lama, China at odds over how successor will be chosen
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."
USA Today
4 days ago
- 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.'
The Diplomat
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
How Will New Delhi Navigate the Dalai Lama Succession Row?
Just a few days ahead of his 90th birthday, the 14th Dalai Lama announced at Dharamshala in India, where the headquarters of the Tibetan exile government is located, that his trust, the Gaden Phodrang, would have the 'sole authority' in deciding who his successor would be. This remark has not only sparked outrage in Beijing, but also generated some friction in China's ties with New Delhi. The decision regarding the Dalai Lama's reincarnation is inherently political and intricately linked with the Sino-Indian border dispute. The PRC — which has ruled Tibet since 1950 — has consistently maintained that the next Dalai Lama incarnation will be born inside China and approved by the Chinese government, even introducing legislation in 2007 titled 'Measures on the Management of the Reincarnations of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhis,' which lays out strict rules governing reincarnations. As a result, the Dalai Lama's comments provoked a strong reaction from the Chinese government, which considers the 14th Dalai Lama a 'splittist.' Beijing also reacted sharply to what it viewed as Indian 'interference in China's internal affairs' after an Indian minister endorsed the Dalai Lama's authority to choose his successor. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning warned New Delhi to 'exercise caution in its words and actions….and avoid impact on the improvement and development of the China-India relationship.' Subsequently, India's Ministry of External Affairs clarified that New Delhi 'does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion,' effectively distancing itself from the Dalai Lama succession issue. Historically, New Delhi has sought to emphasize predictability and worked on preventing the differences between Beijing and the Central Tibetan Authority (CTA), as the Tibetan government-in-exile is known, from derailing Sino-Indian ties. Back in 1954, New Delhi accepted Tibet as a 'region' of China and in 2003, during Vajpayee's visit to China, explicitly recognized that the 'Tibet Autonomous Region is an integral part of the People's Republic of China.' Since then, India has maintained a delicate balance between providing refuge to generations of Tibetan communities, while maintaining a strong economic and political relationship with Beijing. Since 2014, the BJP government — which prides itself on adopting a more muscular approach towards China — has taken a somewhat different approach by periodically using the 'Tibet card' to gain leverage in its bilateral dealings with Beijing. Most prominently, in a stark departure from the past, in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Lobsang Sangay, then head of the CTA, to attend his swearing-in ceremony. The following year, Modi for the first time publicly greeted the Dalai Lama on his birthday, a tradition which he has followed every year since, including this year. Despite such acts of overt proximity, the Modi government has been careful not to cross what the Chinese would consider 'red lines.' Due to the sensitivities involved, Modi changed track by not inviting the Tibetan leader to his second swearing-in ceremony in 2019. Many analysts view such an 'uncoordinated' — largely reactionary approach — as advantageous to Beijing's interests over New Delhi's. Nevertheless, India's approach to the Tibet question has so far allowed India and China to keep aside historical disagreements and advance bilateral ties during periods of calm in Tibet. However, during periods of unrest, as in 2008, the Tibet question re-emerges as a source of tension. The revival of the question of the Dalai Lama's succession brings an unwelcome level of uncertainty to an already fragile Sino-Indian bilateral relationship. New Delhi finds itself in a particularly difficult spot, both internally and externally. Internally, the Modi government will have to face criticism from the domestic public, especially the Tibetan community—as it did in 2012 and 2018, when it restricted Tibetan political activities in a bid to develop ties with Beijing—if it appears to be placating Beijing. Externally, there is a possibility of a resurgence of Chinese pressure along the Sino-Indian border, especially in Sikkim, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, where sizeable Tibetan-Buddhist populations live. Only last year, New Delhi and Beijing arrived at a fragile border agreement, after a prolonged border conflict, which began with bloody clashes in June 2020 at Galwan. Chinese pressure could take the shape of intensification of well-recorded Chinese espionage activities in Dharamshala, targeting the Tibetan diaspora and the exile community. At the same time, New Delhi should be worried about the growing strength of a more fervent form of Tibetan nationalism, especially among younger Tibetans, who oppose the current Dalai Lama's 'Middle Way' or Umaylam approach, which calls for meaningful autonomy rather than formal independence. This approach has played an important role in sustaining the process of normalization of Sino-Indian ties, and if discarded by the next Dalai Lama, would undoubtedly derail ties, potentially to a point of no return. New Delhi will also not be comfortable with the growth of a separatist militant movement on Indian soil, which could fuel similar sentiments in sensitive areas such as Jammu and Kashmir or the Northeast. Buddhism is an important frontier in the India-China rivalry, with both sides using it as a tool to increase their soft-power attractiveness in Asia. How they handle the reincarnation issue will shape the trajectory of their regional influence in the long run. Beijing is unlikely to deviate from its strategy of biding time until the current Dalai Lama passes away, after which it will push to install its preferred successor. In light of the challenges raised by the question of the Dalai Lama's reincarnation, New Delhi needs to decide whether it is worth provoking Beijing. Its traditional balancing act and historically cautious approach seem unsuitable.
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
The Trust of Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama's announcement in Dharamshala this week, asserting for the first time that the line will continue after him, was welcomed by followers of Tibetan Buddhism and fans of its Spiritual leader worldwide. However, it was his statement that the succession would be decided by the Gaden Phodrang Trust, which would be the 'sole authority' on the issue, that has sparked a sharp response from Beijing, which believes it must be given the right to 'approve' the candidate. In an ironic twist for the Communist Party-led Chinese government in Beijing, it cites a Qing dynasty tradition, used a few times, of picking the Dalai Lama's successor through lots from a 'Golden Urn', as the method it hopes to follow. For the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since 1959, when he fled Lhasa years after the Chinese annexed Tibet in 1951, it will be the Gaden Phodrang trust he set up in 2011, which he heads, along with an alternate Chairperson, who is also one of the most respected lamas in the community, Samdhong Rimpoche, that will take the call. While the trust was formally set up and registered in Dharamshala in the previous decade, the institution of Gaden Phodrang Labrang goes back hundreds of years, and refers to the office of the Dalai Lama as a continuing institution from the time of the 5th Dalai Lama. Gaden Phodrang was the name of the Tibetan government, established by the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso or 'the Great Fifth', as both the Spiritual and Political head of a unified Tibet. It was coined from the name of the historical estate of the Dalai Lamas at the Drepung Monastery, before the iconic Potala Palace was constructed. Separation of powers In 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama set up the Gaden Phodrang Trust as he decided to separate the Spiritual and Political powers of his post. 'I have now voluntarily brought this [unified power] to an end, proud and satisfied that we can pursue the kind of democratic system of government flourishing elsewhere in the world', he said, handing over the responsibility for the welfare and governance of the Tibetan community worldwide to the Sikyong, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) that are elected every five years. Within his own office, the Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (OHHDL), he set up the Gaden Phodrang Trust to ensure the continuity of spiritual and traditional issues, and the Dalai Lama Trust that undertakes charitable and welfare initiatives. Another branch, the Gaden Phodrang Foundation, was set up as a 'non-profit, tax-exempt institution registered in the Canton of Zurich and under the supervision of the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs' to promote non-violence and increase synergies between religion and science. 'There should be no confusion, the Gaden Phodrang Trust that His Holiness (Dalai Lama) referred to is an entity in India,' said Dhundup Gyalpo, Secretary of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. According to the Dalai Lama's 2011 statement, which he has now reaffirmed, officers of the Gaden Phodrang Trust would bear the responsibility to recognise the 15th Dalai Lama — by a process he would leave written instructions about. This would include consulting various heads of Tibetan Buddhist traditions, seeking advice from them on the procedures required to search for the next Dalai Lama, believed to be reborn or reincarnated from the present one. 'Bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognised through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People's Republic of China', the Dalai Lama said in the statement dated September 24, 2011. In his latest statement, dated July 2,2025 the pontiff hasn't directly named China, but repeated the mandate, saying unequivocally that the 'Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter'. In his latest book, Voice for the Voiceless, the Tibetan leader has also said that given the role the next Dalai Lama must fill, it is necessary that his successor be born in the 'free world', meaning outside of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) in China. At a press conference in Dharamshala ahead of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday that falls on July 6, Prof. Samdhong Rimpoche said that the announcement has clarified the task ahead of the Gaden Phodrang Trust. Mr. Rimpoche added, however, that there may be some time before it needs to fulfil its mandate, particularly as the pontiff, who he said is in 'good health', himself has said he expects to live to 110 years.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dalai Lama hopes to live beyond 130 years
The elderly Dalai Lama has declared he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, days after he sought to allay speculation over his succession by saying he would reincarnate upon his death. The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, before his 90th birthday on Sunday. The Dalai Lama previously told Reuters in December he might live to 110. "I still hope to live for over 130 years," the Dalai Lama told hundreds of followers from around the world who gathered in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, where he has lived after fleeing Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. "We have lost our country and we live in exile in India, but I have been able to benefit beings quite a lot. So, living here in Dharamshala, I intend to serve beings and the dharma as much as I can," he said on Saturday, referring to the teachings of the Buddha, according to a translation of his speech. Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a separatist and has insisted that its leaders would have to approve his successor as a legacy from imperial times. The Dalai Lama has previously said he would reincarnate in the "free world" and this week told his followers that the sole authority to recognise his reincarnation rests solely with his non-profit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust.
