Dalai Lamas' remarks on reincarnation are a slap in the face for Xi Jinping (Tibet watchers)

I don't think about reincarnation.

This simple remark from the Dalai Lama is interpreted by Tibet watchers as a slap in the face to Xi Jinping and a clear message to China to mind its own business.

The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who will celebrate his 89th birthday on July 6, was answering questions from journalists visiting Dharamshala on reincarnation. His interaction with reporters came a day before a high-level US delegation, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, arrived to meet him. The meeting is expected to take place on Wednesday at the main Buddhist temple in Dharamshala.

Responding to questions about his successor, the Dalai Lama replied: I don't think about reincarnation. The important thing is that as long as I am alive, I must use my energy to help as many people as possible.

The spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi immediately approached X to demand that the Tibetan spiritual leader adhere to its laws, rituals and conventions in this regard.

Asserting that the Chinese government implements a policy of freedom of religious belief, the spokesperson said the 14th Dalai Lama himself was found and recognized following religious rituals and historical conventions, and that his succession had been approved by the central government of the time. Therefore, the reincarnation of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, must comply with Chinese laws and regulations and follow religious rituals and historical conventions.

From @thetribunechd @ajaynewsman is interested in the reincarnation of #Dalai Lama, let me be clear. The reincarnation of living Buddhas, as a unique heritage institution in Tibetan Buddhism, is accompanied by a defined range of rituals and conventions. The Chinese government

— Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India (@ChinaSpox_India) June 18, 2024

Senior Tibet observers in Delhi said that while the Dalai Lamas' remark may seem innocuous, it was actually a slap in the face to Chinese President Xi Jinping and a stern reminder to the Chinese to avoid questions. linked to reincarnation.

Tenzin Lekshay, spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, responded to the Chinese embassy spokesperson's message by drawing his attention to a translated version of a speech on the theme of reincarnation given by Dalai Lama in September 2011.

The text was accompanied by a black and white photo of the Dalai Lama taken during his official enthronement ceremony in Lhasa, Tibet, on February 22, 1940.

In his 2011 speech, the Dalai Lama discussed how the Dalai Lamas have functioned as political and spiritual leaders since 1642, and warned of the clear risk of vested political interests misusing the system of reincarnation to achieve their own political agenda.

Vijay Kranti, a Delhi-based journalist and Tibetologist who first met the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala in 1972 and who has been documenting Tibetan culture and life for half a century, says: In making this claim about reincarnation, the Dalai Lama gave a clear signal to Xi Jinping to avoid problems related to his reincarnation or that of any reincarnated Tibetan Lamas known as Tulkus in Mahamaya Tibetan Buddhism. Chinese intentions to attempt to usurp the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama are well known.

The Dalai Lama's remark is therefore a slap in the face to Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said.

He also criticized the Chinese embassy spokesperson's statement, saying the 14th Dalai Lama had been approved by the central government.

This is pure stupidity, a lie and a mischievous and shameless way of rewriting history. The fact is that the Chinese representatives present at the dethroning ceremony of the Dalai Lamas in Lhasa did not have any special privileges. Nor did they have a better status than other foreign guests or dignitaries present at the Patola Palace.

It is laughable that the Chinese Communist Party, known for condemning and destroying religion, would suddenly attempt to become the champion of religious rituals related to reincarnation.

Vijay, who also heads the Center for Himalayan Asian Studies and Engagement (CHASE), a Delhi-based think tank, drew attention to Order/5 issued by the Chinese government in 2007.

The order, later made into law, gives exclusive rights to the Chinese Communist Party to research, identify, settle and educate new reincarnations of all Tibetan incarnated lamas (Tulkus).

In the 1990s, Chinese attempts to install reincarnations of the Panchen Lama and the Karmpa failed miserably. Although the whereabouts of the real Panchen Lama are not yet known, the Karmapa has escaped Chinese control.

The three recent resolutions unanimously passed by the US Congress have clearly shown that China has no role in the selection and installation of the Dalai Lama or any other incarnate Lama, he added.