My tryst with the Dalai Lama, his idea for ‘successor’ and the fight for Tibetans’ rights

The 14th Dalai Lama will turn ninety on July 6. The Tibetan community refers to the Dalai Lama’s birthday as “Goton”, which is more than a birthday; it is a celebration of a global icon and a pivotal moment for Tibetan Buddhism and continuity over a thousand years. However, this year is also more than a celebration; it is a historic and pivotal moment of the continuity of the institution of the Dalai Lama, largely referred to as the ‘successor’.

A conference of high-ranking monks is scheduled to take place in Dharamsala from July 2 to 4. According to the Sikyong (Prime Minister) Penpa Tsering, whom I met on June 21 in Dharamshala, Dalai Lama may mention the method of selecting a successor, such as “reincarnation,” in a video message on the first day. However, he said that he will not directly name a successor on the spot.

The only document that is available on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation is the September 2011 document. The September 2011 document says that when he reaches the age of 90, which is now two weeks from now, he will make some statement. Accordingly, on 30 June, according to the Tibetan calendar, the Tibetan Government-in-Exile is organising the 90th birthday, followed by a three-day conference (2-4 June) of religious leaders, including the heads of the traditions.

In search of the next Dalai Lama — in a free world

“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. On that basis, we will make a decision,” that is what the Dalai Lama said in his declaration in 2011.

If it is decided that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should continue and there is a need for the Fifteenth Dalai Lama to be recognised, responsibility for doing so will primarily rest on the concerned officers of the Dalai Lama’s Gaden Phodrang Trust. “They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. They should seek advice and direction from these concerned beings and carry out the procedures of search and recognition following tradition. I shall leave clear written instructions about this,” it states.

The Dalai lama also writes: “Bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognised through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People’s Republic of China.”

So, ultimately, it is through the trust or anybody the trust appoints as a committee.

“Because you need high-level lamas to head these search delegations. In Tibet, it was not just one delegation that went looking. So, it’s a combination of things,” Sikyong clarifies while breaking the myth behind the often-repeated word—successor—and its process.

“His Holiness might leave some signs, might leave some messages or not. A lot of things His Holiness has already said. You’re talking about the fact that His Holiness has mentioned that he will be born only in a free world,” Sikyong explains, hinting that his reincarnation will be outside Chinese-controlled Tibet.

However, still, the Dalai Lama might not decide on the successor on 2 July, as there has never been an instance in the history of Tibet where the successor was decided while the existing Dalai Lama was alive and functioning.

So, firstly, as the Dalai Lama turns ninety, he is expected to announce the continuity of the Institution of the Dalai Lama—not the “successor” which will be based on the discussion, deliberation and agreements within all schools of thought prevailing in the Tibetan community during the session after 2 July.

Sikyong Tsering further validates that “Whenever that time comes, because His Holiness even now says that he will live for two decades and more. So, if he lives for two decades or more, it’s too early to think about all this. But then, of course, when humans reach the age of 90, then we will speculate a lot and we get asked all these questions.”

China’s long arm for Tibet

China’s aggression and attitudes towards Tibet have been genocidal. China’s desire to control Tibet is about erasing ‘Tibet’ and replacing it with ‘Xizang’– it now prohibits the Tibetan language in school. uproots all religious/Buddhist traditions, restricts native movements, among other atrocities. In fact, such is the intensity of China’s aggression in Tibet is evident from the recent draconian measures, which are about separating one million Tibetan children from their families and putting them into Chinese-run Mandarin schools. The aim: erase the past of Tibet and merge with China. One fails to understand what China will achieve by creating such a monotonous society of ‘sameness’.

China’s communist authority goes a step further, creating its own ‘Panchen Lama’, the highest position among the Lamas. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the so-called “11th Panchen Lama” in Beijing on June 6 this month. That is for discarding a 1000-year tradition of the Dalai Lama, forcing it upon the people of Tibet.

If that is not enough, then the concern for the Tibetan ecosystems itself, building the largest ever hydropower dam in Tibet, on the Yarlung Tsangpo River (known as the Brahmaputra in India). This massive project, potentially costing over $137 billion, is to be built on the highly sensitive tectonic plate where the Indian and Eurasian plates converge to form the Himalayas. Multiple dams are being built on the ten major rivers that flow from Tibet. It is a disaster in making for damn bursts, floods, and landslide of massive scale in South east Asia and south Asia according to the various studies.

The Yarlung Tsangpo flows from the Tibetan Plateau, in a region sometimes referred to as the world’s third pole, as its glaciers contain the largest stores of ice outside of the Arctic and Antarctica. A series of huge rivers tumble down from the plateau and spread across south and south-east Asia, which is the source of water for nearly a billion people in the region.

And, it breaks the very fragility of the Tibetan Plateau, with its full exploitation of pristine resources.

What is China’s aim?

As I spoke with Penpa Tsering, he looked at such imposition of the Panchen Lama, merely a political tool of China to gain the upper hand.

“So, they have been trying to send their Panchen Lama to Tibet. Most of the time, the Chinese Panchen Lama is in Beijing, but sometimes they send him to Tibet to show the world that Tibetans inside have a belief in the Chinese Panchen Lama, which is not the case,” Tsering explained.

There is also a question mark over the “abduction” of the Panchen Lama, chosen by the Dalai Lama way back in 1995. He has never been found with a strong case of Chinese authority behind it.

Tsering talked about the tactical mistake by China, explaining: “I also say that the Chinese government made a tactical mistake by not recognising the same boy that His Holiness [Dalai Lama] recognised in 1995. In which case, they would still be holding the true Lama, and they can still claim to use him. So, the Chinese Panchen Lama itself is a dubious appointment.”

In such a situation, the voice of the Dalai Lama is the only hope, guiding force for the Tibetans across the world. Moreover, he is universally regarded as a living embodiment of some of the greatest values– peace and compassion today.

In light of such a situation, as the Dalai Lama will celebrate his 90th birthday, the question will be asked about the preparation for his successor in case of any eventuality—that there must not be any internal factions, if any.

However, it is important to clarify that it is not about his successor, but rather the continuation of the Institution of the Dalai Lama, said Dalai Lama’s long-time confidant Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa.

END OF ARTICLE