Dalai Lama’s institution continues for the world

The most awaited statement from the Dalai Lama on his reincarnation came out on July 2nd during the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference in Dharamshala. The statement unequivocally paved a way for the continuation of the Dalai Lamas’ institution. In the statement, the Dalai Lama said, “Although I have had no public discussions on this issue, over the last 14 years leaders of Tibet’s spiritual traditions, members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, participants in a Special General Body Meeting, members of the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, Buddhists from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buddhist republics of the Russian Federation and Buddhists in Asia including mainland China, have written to me with reasons, earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue.” More interestingly, Tibetans in Tibet had earnestly made a request to the Dalai Lama on this issue as follows: “In particular, I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal. In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue. Consequently, this statement now leaves no space for the speculations about the discontinuation of the Dalai Lamas’ institution– whose tradition spans more than 600 years.

In September 2011, the Dalai Lama said, “When I am about ninety I will consult the high Lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other concerned people who follow Tibetan Buddhism, and re-evaluate whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not.” This statement caused little panic in the hearts of Tibetans in general and the followers in particular. In actuality, this statement was explicitly directed to the Chinese authorities who have been trying to politicize the institution of the Dalai Lama for their political ends. The statement made today, however, does not stop the contestation of the next Dalai Lama from the Chinese authorities. They would continuously spin the “Golden Urn” narrative and the purported rights of choosing the next Dalai Lama. However, the Dalai Lama had made it clear in the latest book that his reincarnation would be “born in a free world” and would leave “written instruction” before his passing. These two instructions seem enough for the time being. So, what really prompted the Dalai Lama to make a decision on the continuation of the Dalai Lamas’ institution can be viewed in two ways. One, the very purpose of the reincarnation is to serve the unfinished tasks of the predecessor. In this case, the promotion of peace to the world is a prime task of the current Dalai Lama and it must be continued for a larger purpose than the cause of Tibet. Two, the current Dalai Lama’s disposition of the ancient Indian wisdom is widely accepted by the west and it can serve a huge purpose for the well-being of humanity. Particularly, the Nalanda based Buddhist tradition has an immense role to play in this post-truth world. Thus, these thoughts entailed earnest requests from the Tibetans in general and devout followers in particular served as food for thought on the continuation of the institution.

For instance, during the 3rd Tibetan Special General Meeting in October 2019, they passed a unanimous resolution: “That on behalf of all the Tibetan people presently living in Tibet and in exile, this Special General Meeting prays with a single-minded devotion, and in a single voice, that for as long as sentient beings remain extant on the Snowland of Tibet, the lineage of successive reincarnations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama may continue with imperativeness for the sake of the dharma and the sentient beings of this land”. Similarly, during the 14th Tibetan Religious Conference, all the heads of Tibetan religious sects requested the Dalai Lama thus: “The Karmic bond between the Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan people have been inseparable and the present status of the Tibetan people being extremely critical, all Tibetans genuinely wish for the continuation of the Institution and Reincarnation of the Dalai Lama in the future. We therefore strongly supplicate to His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama for the same”. Today, the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference followed suit: “The participants of the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference led by esteemed religious heads and realised masters of different religious traditions made the unanimous decision to support His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s precious words on this significant subject.”

As far as the next Dalai Lama is concerned, the today’s statement reaffirms the rejection of any political entity or individual other than the Gaden Phodrang Trust: The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” This reiteration, again, leaves China out of the contest for the next Dalai Lama. However, the Chinese authorities won’t easily comply with these directions. They will come up with different narratives to fit in the contestation.

A genuine way of searching the Dalai Lama is, in contrast, with what the Chinese authorities claim of using “Golden Urn”. The history reminds us how the Chinese authorities politicised “Golden Urn” in the case of selecting the 11th Panchen Lama. In Arjia Rinpoche’s book ‘Surviving the Dragon’, he mentioned how the then Bureau of Religious Affairs (now called State Administration for Religious Affairs) Ye Xiaowen corrupted the “Golden Urn”: “When we made our selection we left nothing to chance. In the silk pouches of the ivory pieces we put a bit of cotton at the bottom of one of them, so it would be a little higher than the others and the right candidate would be chosen.” This is how they chose the 11th Panchen Lama Gyaincain Norbu and disappeared the boy chosen by the Dalai Lama. How this battle lay ahead is to be seen.

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