TAIPEI, Taiwan – The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, said his successor would be born in the “free world,” which he described as outside China. However, Beijing insisted that the selection of his successor must follow Chinese law, asserting its authority over Tibetan Buddhism and rejecting any succession outside its control.
Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death. The current Dalai Lama, who was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor when he was two, had previously said the line of spiritual leaders might end with him.
China took control of Tibet in 1950, leading to tensions and resistance.
Nine years later, at the age of 23, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso fled to India with thousands of other Tibetans after a failed uprising against the rule of Mao Zedong’s Communists.
China calls the Dalai Lama a “separatist” and insists it will choose his successor, but the 89-year-old has said any successor named by China would not be respected.
“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 so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama – that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people – will continue,” the Dalai Lama said in his new book “Voice for the Voiceless” published on Tuesday.
He added he had received numerous petitions for more than a decade from a wide spectrum of Tibetan people, asking him to ensure that the Dalai Lama lineage be continued.
He also wrote that his homeland remained “in the grip of repressive Communist Chinese rule” and that the campaign for the freedom of the Tibetan people would continue “no matter what,” even after his death.
Human rights organizations and media outlets report that China suppresses Tibetan culture, religion, and freedom through strict surveillance, forced assimilation, and crackdowns on dissent.
Tibetan children are placed in state-run boarding schools to weaken their cultural identity, while monasteries face heavy restrictions. Beijing denies these allegations, claiming it is promoting economic development, stability, and modernization in Tibet while combating separatism.
When asked about the book, China’s foreign ministry said that the Dalai Lama was a “political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion” and he “had no right to represent the people in Tibet.”
“The Dalai Lama’s lineage, formed in Xizang, China, and religious standing and title which were affirmed by the central government, date back several hundred years,” said ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday.
Xizang is the official Chinese name for Tibet, used by the Chinese government to refer to the Tibet Autonomous Region.
“The reincarnation of Living Buddhas including the Dalai Lama must comply with Chinese laws and regulations as well as religious rituals and historical conventions, and follow the process that consists of search and identification in China, lot-drawing from a golden urn, and central government approval,” Mao said.
China said last month it hoped the Dalai Lama would “return to the right path” and that it was open to discussing his future if he met such conditions as recognizing that Tibet is an inalienable part of China, whose sole legal government is that of the People’s Republic of China.
That proposal has been rejected by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile in India.
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China and the Dalai Lama’s representatives have held several rounds of talks, with key discussions occurring between 2002 and 2010, but they failed to reach an agreement.
No formal dialogue has taken place since 2010, as China insists Tibet has always been part of China, while the Dalai Lama continues advocating for Tibetan rights.
China has appointed its own Panchen Lama, a significant Tibetan Buddhist figure, to control religious affairs in Tibet. The Panchen Lama traditionally plays a key role in recognizing the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama recognized Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995, but China abducted him and replaced him with Gyaltsen Norbu, their state-approved Panchen Lama. Many Tibetans do not recognize China’s choice, and the fate of the real Panchen Lama remains unknown.
Edited by Mike Firn.