Dalai Lama confirms reincarnation plan, setting stage for showdown with China - Singapore News

· The Independent

DHARAMSHALA, INDIA: A few days before his 90th birth anniversary, the Dalai Lama has given his followers assurance that his spiritual ancestry will last beyond his death.

A resounding affirmation: “The Dalai Lama will continue”

In an authoritative video address from Dharamshala, India, where festivities marking his milestone birthday are in progress, the Tibetan spiritual leader professed that he will be “reawakened,” putting an end to long-lasting conjecture that he might be the last in the venerable line of Dalai Lamas.

According to a recent Reuters report, more than 100 maroon-robed monks gathered in the library cheered as the Nobel Peace laureate, who appeared with strength and vigour, said:

“I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue.”

The declaration marks a crucial moment for Tibetan Buddhism that drew a clear line in the sand in the long-running philosophical skirmish over succession.

Clash of traditions – Who decides the next Dalai Lama?

Vital to this declaration is the claim that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a not-for-profit established by the Dalai Lama himself, will have sole authority over the identification of his reincarnation, unswervingly opposing Beijing’s doggedness that the process must be governed by the Chinese government.

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“No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” the Dalai Lama firmly stated, denoting the trust’s special role in the selection procedure.

However, Beijing repeated its ancient claim that it must support and give sanction to any “rebirth” using a Qing dynasty-era ceremony involving a golden urn. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stressed that the process must take place within China, framing it as a heritage of a grand and imperial custom.

Global attention and support amid diplomatic tensions

The Dalai Lama’s proclamation was not only spiritual but profoundly political, reverberating with international followers and gaining remarkable transnational focus. Among those present in Dharamshala was actor Richard Gere, a long-time supporter of the Tibetan cause.

The U.S. State Department quickly expressed support, advising China to respect religious liberties and stop meddling with the reincarnation process. A representative highlighted Washington’s call for negotiations between Beijing and Tibetan representatives to work toward meaningful independence for Tibet.

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Legacy, freedom, and the future

Born Lhamo Dhondup in 1935 in contemporary Qinghai province, the 14th Dalai Lama was acknowledged as the reincarnation of his precursor at age two. Over the years, he has turned out to be one of the world’s most esteemed spiritual voices and a global symbol of nonaggression and diplomacy.

The Dalai Lama made it clear that his successor could be of any gender and need not be born in Tibet or China, but in a land that is free.

Penpa Tsering, head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, strengthened this message, affirming: “His Holiness says, ‘I will be born in a free world.’”

Tsering also noted the Dalai Lama’s preparedness to return to Tibet, but only under circumstances that respect his independence. “If I get to go to Tibet and China, I will go,” the Dalai Lama was quoted as saying, “but I will not live there, because there is no freedom there.”

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As China and the Tibetan diaspora prepare for a foreseeable changeover, one thing is clear — the next Dalai Lama will not just be a spiritual leader, but a symbol of the Tibetans’ struggle to preserve their own identity and religious freedom.