In a significant diplomatic signal, India on Thursday affirmed that the succession of the Dalai Lama will be determined solely by the current Tibetan spiritual leader and through established Buddhist conventions—a stance seen as a clear rejection of China’s attempts to assert control over the process.
According to an NDTV report, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju emphasized that no external power has the authority to interfere in the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Rijiju, who is also a practising Buddhist, said, “The Dalai Lama is the most important and defining institution for Buddhists. His successor must be decided in accordance with established tradition and his wishes.”
His remarks came a day after the 14th Dalai Lama announced that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, his office, will have sole authority in recognizing his future reincarnation, ensuring that the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist tradition continues without foreign interference.
Rijiju added that followers of the Nalanda tradition of Buddhism, to which the Dalai Lama belongs, firmly believe that the process of identifying the next Dalai Lama lies only with the current one and established spiritual protocols.
Beijing has long insisted that any future reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must receive its official approval, a claim widely criticized as politically motivated. India’s statement is being viewed as a diplomatic rebuff to that position, reinforcing support for Tibetan autonomy in religious matters.
The Dalai Lama, who previously hinted that his position may not continue unless there is popular demand, confirmed this week that the institution will indeed carry on, reassuring Tibetans and global followers concerned about the future of the Tibetan movement.
The Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday will be marked on July 6 in Dharamshala, where both Kiren Rijiju and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh are expected to represent the Indian government at official celebrations.
What is China’s demand?
Tenzin Gyatso is regarded by Tibetans as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Since 1959, he and thousands of Tibetans have lived in exile in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, after Chinese forces brutally suppressed an uprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
In 1995, the Chinese government appointed its own Panchen Lama, another prominent figure in Tibetan Buddhism, while simultaneously detaining the six-year-old boy recognised by the Dalai Lama as the legitimate reincarnation. Human rights groups have since described that child as the world’s youngest political prisoner, with his whereabouts still unknown.
Following the Dalai Lama’s recent announcement outlining his succession plan, China reaffirmed its stance on Wednesday, insisting that the reincarnation must be approved by the central government in Beijing. According to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, the process would involve “drawing lots from a golden urn”, a ritual method historically invoked by Chinese emperors.
However, the Dalai Lama has previously dismissed the legitimacy of this method, warning that when misused for political purposes, the urn holds “no spiritual value.” The urn is currently kept under Chinese control.
