China says Dalai Lama has no authority to decide on his reincarnation

The Chinese Embassy in India on Sunday asserted that the Dalai Lama, who turned 90, holds no authority to decide whether the reincarnation system will continue or be abolished.

The 14th Dalai Lama has affirmed that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue, said Xu Feihong, Chinese Ambassador to India, adding that "In fact, as a unique succession method of Tibetan Buddhism, the practice of Living Buddha reincarnation has continued over 700 years."

Currently, there are over 1,000 reincarnation systems of Living Buddhas in Xizang and Tibetan-inhabited prefectures/counties of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces, he said.


"The 14th Dalai Lama is part of this long-standing historical tradition and religious succession, not otherwise. The reincarnation of Dalai Lamas neither began from him nor will end due to him. He has no authority to decide whether the reincarnation system shall continue or be abolished."

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had earlier said that only the Dalai Lama and the organisation he has set up have the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Ministry of External Affairs, contradicting Rijiju's stand, then said that the Indian government "doesn't take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion".

"The government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so," the foreign ministry said.

The Dalai Lama turned 90 on Sunday surrounded by thousands of followers, who thronged the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, where the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism has been living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.

Sitting before a packed audience that included hundreds of red-robed monks and nuns who braved incessant rain to see him, he said: “When I look back on my life, I see that I have not wasted it at all.”

“I live my life in the service of other sentient beings,” he added.

Dressed in a traditional robe and a flowing yellow wrap, the Dalai Lama was escorted to the temple courtyard by a group of monks, as Tibetan artists beat drums and played bagpipes while senior lamas struck cymbals in his honor. The head of the democratically elected Tibetan government-in-exile, Penpa Tsering, raised the Tibetan flag as the musicians played the Tibetan anthem.

Recognized worldwide in his red robes and wide smile, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, describes himself as a “simple Buddhist monk.” But millions of Tibetan Buddhists worship him as living manifestations of Chenrezig, the Buddhist god of compassion.

The birthday party capped a week of celebrations, during which the Nobel Peace Prize winner said he plans to reincarnate after his death, ending years of speculation that he might be the last person to hold the role. He also said that the next Dalai Lama should be and recognized as per past Buddhist traditions.

On Saturday, the Dalai Lama said he hoped to live until the age of 130.

World leaders and celebrities sent wishes. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wished him and said the Dalai Lama has “been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline.”

In the past, the Dalai Lama has said his successor will be born in the “free world” — outside China. Many exiled Tibetans, however, fear China will name its own successor to the Dalai Lama to bolster control over Tibet, a territory it poured troops into in 1950 and has ruled ever since.

China, which views the Dalai Lama as a separatist, has repeatedly said that it alone has the authority to approve the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. It also says it will reject anyone chosen without Beijing’s consent.