Dharamsala, June 26: As revered leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the 14th Dalai Lama, nears 90 and is reportedly in good health, the threat of China controlling his reincarnation grows. His followers firmly believe that before he dies, his incarnation could be found, most probably in India, the birthplace of Buddhism and where he has been residing for 66 years.
The visiting president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, while addressing key issues, including reincarnation, told Deutschlandradio in Berlin two days ago that the scheduled release of a special video message by the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be July 2 — four days before he turns 90.
The followers believe the message is expected to address the politically sensitive issue of the succession for the Dalai Lama lineage at the three-day 15th Tibetan Religious Conference in Dharamsala, where Buddhist leaders, including heads and representatives of all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism — Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Sakya — will meet.
The next Dalai Lama, the 15th incarnation, will be an unbroken lineage that has lasted some 500 years, free from any external interference. “My reincarnation is to be decided by myself; nobody has the right to decide about that,” the Dalai Lama, respected by millions as a living god, often said in his remarks.
At the same time, he says, “One day you will hear that the Dalai Lama has passed away, but I will come back, even if the institution of the Dalai Lama is no longer recognised. I will be back.” What is reincarnation? It is a phenomenon which should take place either through the voluntary choice of the person concerned or at least on the strength of his or her karma, merit and prayers.
Therefore, the person who reincarnates has sole legitimate authority over where and how he or she takes rebirth and how that reincarnation is to be recognised, says a post on the official website of the Dalai Lama.
“When I am about 90, I will consult the high Lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other people concerned who follow Tibetan Buddhism, and re-evaluate whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not,” said a post quoting the spiritual leader dated September 24, 2011.
“On that basis, we will make a decision. If it is decided that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should continue and there is a need for the 15th Dalai Lama to be recognised, responsibility for doing so will primarily rest on the officers of the Dalai Lama’s Gaden Phodrang Trust,” the post further says.
At the same time, the Dalai Lama had clarified 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 China.
The US government also made clear in its 2020 Tibet Policy and Support Act that any interference from China will be confronted at the international level. One key feature of the Act is defining the Tibetan people as a people with their own distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity.
It states that Chinese policies are systematically suppressing the ability of the Tibetan people to preserve their way of life. About the issue of reincarnation, a section of His Holiness’ latest book, ‘Voice for the Voiceless’, says, “Now, 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…” It reads, “His Holiness has received numerous petitions and letters from a wide spectrum of Tibetan people — senior lamas from the various Tibetan traditions, abbots of monasteries, diaspora Tibetan communities across the world, and many prominent and ordinary Tibetans inside Tibet — as well as Tibetan Buddhist communities from the Himalayan region and Mongolia, uniformly asking me to ensure that the Dalai Lama lineage be continued.”
In accordance with his 2011 statement and his latest book, his followers expect a statement from His Holiness ahead of his birthday on the future course of action. Born Tenzin Gyatson on July 6, 1935, at Taktser hamlet in northeastern Tibet, the present Dalai Lama was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso.
He fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, basing his Tibetan government-in-exile here. The Dalai Lama has been following a “middle-path” policy that seeks greater autonomy for Tibet rather than complete independence. However, the Chinese view him as a hostile element bent on splitting Tibet from China. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at
IANS