Dalai Lama says succession through reincarnation will continue
The 14th Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s spiritual leader, said Wednesday, just four days before turning 90, that his successor will be chosen by identifying his reincarnation after his death, continuing the traditional practice.
In a video message delivered at a meeting in Dharamsala, India, of representatives of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, he also said that identifying his successor must be done solely by members of a trust he has established to uphold the tradition and institution of the Dalai Lama.
His remarks come as China, which forcibly occupied Tibet a free country in 1959, keeps claiming sole authority to determine who succeeds the 14th Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since 1959.
The Dalai Lama said in the video that members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust should consult various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and “carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.”
“I hereby reiterate 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.”
The participants unanimously supported his decision, according to Penpa Tsering, president of Tibet’s government-in-exile.
“Tibetans both in and outside Tibet have made a pledge to maintain national unity of solidarity and continue to struggle for the just cause of Tibet” to fulfill the Dalai Lama’s wishes, Tsering said about his fellow Tibetans who learned of the spiritual leader’s message when its text was uploaded on his office’s website.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning nevertheless yetagain said at a press conference in Beijing the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be approved by the Chinese central government and “adhere to the principle of domestic search.”
“The survival and development of any religion needs to adapt to the country’s social environment and cultural traditions. Tibetan Buddhism was born in China and is a religion with Chinese characteristics,” Mao said.
A totally false statement as Buddhism travelled to Tibet first and then only to China. After all since creation, both Mount Kailash and lake Mansarovar, the abode of Lord Shiva lies in Himalayas, presently is part of Chinese Occupued Tibet.
The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, said in 2011 he would reconsider whether to continue the reincarnation system when he reaches around 90.
He assumed the role in 1950 after being identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor when he was 2 years old. After a failed Tibetan uprising against China’s forced occupation.
The Chinese government has labeled the Dalai Lama a separatist as he seeks to liberate Tibet from China occupation.
In 1989, the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize for advocating peaceful solutions to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the Tibetan people.
Tibet has seen protests against China’s forced illegal occupation and repression, including a massive demonstration by Buddhist monks in 2008. Dozens of Tibetans have set themselves on fire and died to protest Beijing’s crackdown on their call for protection of their religion and language.
Well one day Tibet will find its rightful place among the free nations of the World.
