Beijing Refuses Dalai Lama Involvement in Reincarnation

Mar. 8 – The Dalai Lama is now 75 and his health is deteriorating. Padma Choling, the Governor of Tibet, has stated that there is no need for Beijing to refer to the Dalai Lama in the situation of his death and subsequent reincarnation, and has insisted the final decision lies with Beijing.

The Chairman of the Tibet People’s Congress, Qiangba Puncog, has stated that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must follow protocols laid down in the ‘traditional’ requirements of reincarnation, specified as being religious rituals, lot drawing from the golden urn in the face of the Buddha Sakyaumi, historical conventions passed down since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and approval from the Central Government.

Some Tibetans counter this by stating that approval from China’s central government was never previously sought in pre-communist China, and that Qing Dynasty’s historical conventions came at the end of the dynasty. Furthermore, these protocols were enacted under special circumstances of war and civil unrest in both China and Tibet and ignore previous protocols dating back over 400 years.

The Dalai Lama as a position was created by Mongolian leader Altai Khan in 1578, although two previous Dalai Lama’s were posthumously recognized dating back to the birth of the 1st Dalai Lama in 1391. The current Dalai Lama, living in exile in India, has stated that he may choose his reincarnation while still alive, that his next reincarnation may be found outside China, or that Tibetans could vote on a constitution and decide themselves whether to vest power in one monk who holds spiritual and governmental powers over Tibet or to reject the system.

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