Tenzin Nyidon 

DHARAMSHALA, April 19: In a calculated move to bolster its narrative on the reincarnation of the exiled spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalia Lama, China recently hosted a delegation of more than 20 Buddhist leaders and religious affairs officials from 12 countries. The high-profile visit, which took place from April 14 to 16, included a visit to Sera Monastery, Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Tibet University in Lhasa, as well as the Lama Temple and the China Tibetology Research Centre in Beijing.

According to China Daily, several members of the visiting delegation expressed that their tour deepened their comprehension of the “reincarnation system of Living Buddhas” and the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism within China. The visit was framed by Chinese media as an endorsement of Beijing’s interpretations and policies concerning Tibetan religious traditions.

After touring an exhibition on the reincarnation of Tibetan spiritual figures — including the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama — at the Museum of Tibetan Culture in Beijing, Penh Vibol, a member of the Secretariat of the Supreme Sangha Council of Cambodia, remarked that the experience offered him valuable insight into the historical and cultural context of the reincarnation tradition as practiced in China.

However, Tibetan observers and exile leaders have sharply criticized the visit as a veiled propaganda effort aimed at legitimizing Beijing’s claim over the reincarnation process. Tenzin Lekshay, spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), condemned the orchestrated nature of the visit, stating, “China’s scripted tour of foreign Buddhist monks and religious officials to Tibet was to deviously assert control over reincarnation. However, China lacks legitimate, moral, and historical authority over the sacred and unique Tibetan Buddhist tradition of reincarnation.” 

The timing of the visit is particularly significant, as it comes ahead of the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on July 6 — a milestone expected to reignite discussions within the Tibetan spiritual and exile communities about the future of the Dalai Lama institution. In a statement made in September 2011, the Dalai Lama affirmed that he would consult with senior Tibetan Buddhist scholars, the Tibetan public, and his followers before making a definitive decision on whether the institution should continue. “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 take a decision. 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 recognized, responsibility for doing so will primarily rest on the concerned officers of the Dalai Lama’s Gaden Phodrang Trust,” he stated. 

In his recent book Voice for the Voiceless, the Dalai Lama further clarified that his reincarnation would not be born under Chinese rule, insisting that his successor should be born in the “free world” to ensure the continuation of the traditional spiritual mission of the Dalai Lama lineage.

Despite this, Beijing has consistently reiterated its claim to authority over the reincarnation process. In 2007, the Chinese government enacted State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5, mandating that all reincarnations of Tibetan Buddhist lamas must be pre-approved by the state — a policy widely denounced by the Tibetan exile government as a flagrant violation of religious freedom and an attempt to politicize deeply spiritual traditions.

President Penpa Tsering, the President of the CTA, has been an outspoken critic of China’s reincarnation policy. “The Chinese government is not bothered by the living 14th Dalai Lama, but they are more concerned about the yet-to-come 15th Dalai Lama,” he remarked.

To counter Beijing’s claims, the CTA’s 16th Cabinet released a comprehensive policy paper titled Position on the Issue of Reincarnation of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on September 29, 2022. The document reaffirms the Tibetan people’s exclusive right to determine the future of the Dalai Lama’s succession without external interference, explicitly rejecting China’s Order No. 5 and the so-called Management Measures for the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism.