Few celebrations have the hills of Dharamshala abuzz like the birthday of the Dalai Lama.
For years, the Dalai Lama had promised that around his 90th birthday he would make a long-awaited announcement about his reincarnation.
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, confirmed he would remain in the role until he died.
“No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” the Dalai Lama told his monks.
However, Tansen Sen, a scholar of Indo-Chinese relations and Buddhism, noted that the Dalai Lama’s message struck a more diplomatic tone than some of his previous statements.
There are few occasions that get the hills of Dharamshala as excited as the Dalai Lama’s birthday. But there has been a noticeable sense of excitement this year as monks and followers flocked to the city in the mountains of India ahead of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s 90th birthday on Sunday.
The Dalai Lama had long assured everyone that he would finally reveal his reincarnation around the time of his 90th birthday. In a video address to Tibetan leaders and monks on Wednesday, he finally outlined the future. It happened as the Tibetan community and the Chinese government, which has long aimed to take control of the Dalai Lama’s institution—regarded as the highest teacher in Tibetan Buddhism—were apprehensive about a bloody succession dispute.
According to Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, he will continue to serve in that capacity until his death. He would then be reincarnated in accordance with centuries-old custom, and only his inner circle—a trust of closely related monks—would have the “sole authority” to find his successor. But finding a child in which his spirit has been reincarnated is frequently a drawn-out process.
The Dalai Lama informed his monks, “No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”.
The declaration put an end to years of conjecture that the Dalai Lama might propose a different form of reincarnation, like transferring his spiritual essence to a successor who could be located while he was still alive, in an effort to thwart Chinese meddling. He even made a suggestion that he might not reincarnate at all, which greatly alarmed many Tibetans living abroad.
In his most recent remarks, the Dalai Lama openly defied China’s Communist party, which has long maintained that it alone has the power to choose the country’s next Dalai Lama and has even codified the right into Chinese law.
But according to Tansen Sen, a specialist in Buddhism and Indo-Chinese relations, the Dalai Lama’s remarks had a more tactful tone than some of his earlier remarks. He had previously stated that the 15th Dalai Lama would be born in the “free world,” which was interpreted to mean outside of China. However, he did not reiterate that statement this time.
Sen remarked, “I think this was a really well-planned announcement that didn’t upset China too much.”. In addition to being a religious figure, the Dalai Lama is also a perceptive thinker, and I believe he understands that there are more significant problems at hand, especially given his geopolitical predicament between China and India. “.”.
The lack of the Dalai Lama’s statement from any Chinese or Tibetan media, however, demonstrated China’s sensitivity to the matter. Robert Barnett, a Tibetan history professor at Soas University of London, stated that China’s propaganda managers appear to be very reluctant for Tibetans or even Chinese to hear this news. That is probably due to the fact that Chinese leaders are either unable to agree on how to react or are afraid of a wave of support for the Dalai Lama. “”.
In 1950, China invaded Tibet, an autonomous region, and seized power. Following a failed Tibetan uprising in 1959, China threatened to detain the Dalai Lama, who served as both a political and religious leader, and forced him to flee to India.
Following his dangerous escape across the Himalayas, the Dalai Lama met Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister of India at the time, in April 1959. Nehru stated, despite strong opposition from his own government, that the Tibetan spiritual leader “should be allowed to live in peace” in India.
In Dharamshala, high in the Himalayan mountains, the Dalai Lama, other Tibetan religious leaders, and exiled citizens and lawmakers have since set up their political and religious headquarters.
For the past 66 years, the Dalai Lama has led his outpost as a religious figure and a tireless, highly successful global spokesman for the Tibetan community and cause. He has vehemently opposed Chinese demands that it interfere in the succession process or have any influence over the Dalai Lama’s institution.
Chinese officials have attempted to curb the Dalai Lama’s influence in greater Tibet, which is home to 6 million people, by enforcing censorship and harsher measures, such as prohibiting pictures of him.
The Dalai Lama has been called a “wolf in monk’s clothing” by Beijing, which sees him as a separatist and dissident who has pushed for more Tibetan autonomy within China rather than complete independence.
Many people believe that Chinese efforts have failed, and the Dalai Lama is still more respected than ever. He has millions of followers, including some of the biggest celebrities in the world, and a Nobel peace prize.
Because of his persistent opposition to China’s attempts to impose total homogeneity on Tibet, authorities are more determined than ever to manage his final affairs. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said his successor “must be chosen by drawing lots from a golden urn and approved by the central government” in a statement following the Dalai Lama’s announcement this week, which was only published in English.
Following the Dalai Lama’s death, analysts generally concur that two successors will be chosen: one chosen by the Chinese Communist party from within China, and the other chosen by Tibetan monks, who will, according to tradition, be located outside of China and accepted by the Tibetan community living abroad.
Over the years, tensions in Indo-Chinese relations have persisted due to the Dalai Lama’s presence in Dharamshala and the freedom of movement granted to him by India. It seemed, however, that the Indian government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had started to view the Tibet issue as a direct means of exerting pressure on China after border tensions broke out in violent skirmishes in 2020. China has made it clear that any nation that tampers with the Dalai Lama’s rebirth will face consequences; this is interpreted as a jab at India.
In a significant departure from tradition, India’s minister of minority affairs, Kiren Rijiju, who is a Buddhist, stated in public this week that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation “is to be decided by the established convention and as per the wish of the Dalai Lama himself.”. He alone is entitled to make the decision. “”.
India was immediately urged by China’s foreign ministry to “eschew using Tibet issues to interfere in China’s domestic affairs.”.
The Dalai Lama’s office would have probably already told New Delhi about the reincarnation announcement, according to Amitabh Mathur, a former adviser on Tibet to the Indian government. He also said that senior ministries would have been consulted before Rijiju made his statement. “It definitely surpasses what India has previously stated,” Mathur remarked.
He predicted that the geopolitical issues surrounding the Dalai Lama would likely worsen once he passed away, especially if Tibetan authorities discovered his reincarnation within India, which would be against China’s own potential choice.
The Dalai Lama was doing everything he could to keep the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution from being taken over by Chinese political interests, according to Tibetan officials, who also confirmed that unofficial back channels with the Chinese were still open. Mathur remarked, “He’s looking at these things from a very practical lens.”. “Remember that the Dalai Lama is equally knowledgeable about statecraft and spiritual issues. “.”.
The Tibetan leader, however, who seemed to be in good health, emphasized that he did not anticipate his death occurring anytime soon as he led prayers on the eve of his birthday. He stated, “I hope to live another thirty or forty years.”. “.”.
