Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, receives a dose of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination centre in Dharamshala, India, on 6 March 2021. File photo/Reuters/OHHDL
By Sutirtho Patranobis | Hindustan Times
ON THE WEB, 21 May 2021
China on Friday indicated that it would choose the successor to the India-based Dalai Lama through “drawing lots from the golden urn” with the candidate subject to the approval of the Communist Party China (CPC)-ruled central government.
A new policy paper released on Tibet on Friday all but ruled out the 14th Dalai Lama himself choosing his successor.
Citing historical precedence, the white paper said the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and other grand Living Buddhas has been subjected to approval by the central government since an ordinance passed during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
“The ordinance stipulated that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and other grand Living Buddhas had to follow the procedure of ‘drawing lots from the golden urn’, and the selected candidate would be subject to approval by the central government of China,” the white paper, titled “Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity”, said.
The 14th Dalai Lama, who is 85 now, fled to India in 1959 following a Chinese crackdown on an uprising by the local population in Tibet.
The Tibetan leader was granted political asylum in India and the Tibetan government-in-exile has been based in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh since then.
In 2017, the Chinese foreign ministry had told Hindustan Times about the process it would follow on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. “The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be conducted according to religious rituals and historical conventions including drawing lots from the Golden Urn in front of the Shakyamuni (Buddha) statue at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, which embodies the Buddhist spirit,” the ministry had said, adding: “(and) not by what the 14th Dalai Lama has said.”
The primary rules of naming the successor will follow the “Regulation on Religious Affairs and Management Rules of Tibetan Buddhism Reincarnation,” the ministry said.
“Finally, the result must be reported to the central government for approval. This rule was established early in 1793,” said the ministry referring to the 29-Article Ordinance for More Effective Governance of Tibet, passed by the Qing dynasty, which ruled future Dalai Lamas would be chosen through a draw of lots of names inside the urn at the temple.
China routinely blames the Dalai Lama for inciting separatism in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and has called him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.
Beijing says the Dalai Lama seeks to use violent methods to establish an independent Tibet though the Tibetan leader, who has won the Nobel Peace Prize, says he only wants genuine autonomy for Tibet and denies advocating independence or violence.
The Dalai Lama’s succession issue has been in focus, especially in the last few years after the US has stepped up campaign, saying that the right relating to the reincarnation of Dalai Lama’s successor should be within the exclusive authority of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.
The white paper slammed the Dalai Lama group for promoting “Tibetan independence”. “Over the years, the 14th Dalai Lama and his supporters have continued to try to promote ‘Tibetan independence’ by provoking incidents to jeopardise peace and stability in Tibet,” it said.
After the failure of their armed rebellion in 1959, the reactionaries of Tibet’s ruling class fled to India and subsequently began to campaign for “Tibetan independence by force”, it said.
No country or government in the world has ever acknowledged the “independence of Tibet”, it said.
The white paper also said by 2020, a total of 92 reincarnated Living Buddhas had been identified and approved through traditional religious rituals and historical conventions for temples in Tibet.
By that time, I sincerely wish ccp already meets it’s death and disintegration. Surely they should use the golden urn (cheap chinese product with toxic golden hue, plastic inside) to check their future. I am afraid the wheel of sharp weapons will soon be returning to the tyrant and the infamous ccp goes down the ditch of history.
We all know who falls into the pit-he (ccp) who digs a pit for others.
Can we say that Nechung Chogyal Chenpo has been very displeased with idea of holding an extra Chitue session illegally on 24/5/2021?
@Daveno
There’s no link between modi and xi meeting in Wuhan in 2019 and covid-19 pandemic from Wuhan. This is like saying Huawei-made 5G Internet causes covid-19.
Wuhan virology lab is being funded by USA to research coronavirus. The Chinese scientists leaked the virus by accident. US has nothing to do with covid-19 or wuhan.
Tibetans shouldn’t be fooled by the strange silence of Indian government on 15th Dalai Lama. We don’t know whether Indian govt plans to support Dharamshala choice or Beijing choice. Modi-Xi meeting in April 2019 in Wuhan during 60 years of Thank You India programme appears to have touched upon 15th Dalai Lama. And USA, perhaps alarmed by the ever closing relationship between India and China, might have been compelled to do something dramatic to stop India-China friendship and Covid-19 Wuhan.
USA is extremely concerned about 15th Dalai Lama, and going so far as to pass big legislations in Congress. Yet in India, Modi seems apathetic and distant from 15th Dalai Lama topic, and even staying above the discussion by making junior officials to make statements on Tibet issue.
The takeaway, I think, is that the 15th Dalai Lama which will be born in India might not receive the level of recognition the Tibetans expect from the Indian government. Only USA seems interested. We also don’t know the position of other countries in Europe.
My guess is – most countries will accept BOTH 15th Dalai Lamas, and impress all sides. There is nothing for other countries to sacrifice their financial ties with China for supporting Dharamshala’s Dalai Lama because they don’t have a lot to gain for doing that, and will only cause frictions. Giving recognition to both Dalai Lamas seems more beneficial to them. Then, the issue will be – China will say these countries must stop the recognition of Dharamshala’s Dalai Lama, and that theirs is the only real one. These countries will then say they support human rights of Tibetans, and will never stop recognizing our Dalai Lama. Tibetans might have to fight the propaganda by the Chinese to dilute the validity of our choice, etc.
First CCP should approve reincarnation of Mao Tsetung.