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India Today
06-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Dalai Lama has no authority over reincarnation system: Chinese envoy to India
China's Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, said on Sunday that the Dalai Lama does not have the power to decide if the Tibetan Buddhist reincarnation system should continue. He claimed that the 14th Dalai Lama is part of a centuries-old religious tradition and cannot change it on his own."The reincarnation system of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism has existed for over 700 years," Xu said in a post on social media platform X. 'Currently, there are more than 1,000 such systems in Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, and Qinghai.'advertisement Xu added that while the 14th Dalai Lama is a key figure, the process of choosing Dalai Lamas did not begin with him and will not end with him. 'He has no authority to decide whether the system will continue or be stopped,' Xu comments came shortly after Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, a practising Buddhist, said only the current Dalai Lama and traditional practices can determine his successor.'The Dalai Lama is a defining spiritual leader for Buddhists,' Rijiju said on July 2. 'The decision about his reincarnation should follow tradition and be made by him alone. No one else has the right.'These statements follow a recent announcement from the 14th Dalai Lama, who confirmed that the Dalai Lama institution would continue. He said only the Gaden Phodrang Trust has the right to recognise his future issue has gained attention as Dalai Lama's 90th birthday approached on July 6. There are concerns that China may appoint its own successor to gain more control over Tibet's spiritual response to the Dalai Lama's statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that any reincarnation must follow rules set by the Chinese government, including a process called "drawing lots from a golden urn" and official approval from added that while China respects religious freedom, it also strictly regulates religious practices, including the reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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:
