In Next Dalai Lama Search, China Should Keep Its Nose Out

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The 14th Dalai Lama, the supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhism, has declared that his successor will be selected by the traditional method. That means, after his death, a search will be conducted by Tibetans themselves to identify his "reincarnation." Only the person they identify will become the 15th Dalai Lama.

"They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.... No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," the Dalai Lama said.

This statement amounted to a stern declaration to the Chinese communist authorities not to interfere in the process.

The People's Republic of China has already announced a policy of not recognizing anyone other than its own candidate to become the 15th Dalai Lama. However, there is no way that the Tibetan people will look up to an illegitimate "imposter Dalai Lama." Beijing should end its inhumane, forced assimilation policies and respect Tibetan religion and culture.

The 14th Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6. At the age of two, he was recognized by the Tibetan government at the time as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. He was formally installed in that position in 1940, at the age of four.

*Chinese police patrol in front of the Potala Palace in Tibet’s capital Lhasa in a file photo. (Radio Free Asia via Central Tibetan Administration)*

Chinese Occupation of Tibet

However, the People's Liberation Army occupied Tibet in 1951, and the resistance efforts in various places were harshly suppressed. As a result, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet's ancient capital of Lhasa in 1959. He thereafter established a government in exile in Dharamsala in northern India.

The year 2025 marks 60 years since China established the Tibet Autonomous Region with Lhasa as its capital in 1965.

Ever since, Beijing has encouraged large numbers of Han Chinese to migrate to the region. It has also implemented an assimilation policy designed to strip Tibet of its unique culture and religion. As a result, portraits and photographs of the 14th Dalai Lama have been removed from Buddhist temples and other buildings and replaced by images of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Government security personnel are regularly stationed at temples in Tibet, and numerous surveillance cameras have been installed in their precincts. In effect, the Tibetan people are forced to practice their faith under smothering controls amidst a pervasive atmosphere of fear.

More than Just a Religious Leader

Followers of Tibetan Buddhism believe the Dalai Lama to be an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Kannon. But he is more than just a religious leader. Since the 17th century, the Dalai Lama has also led the Tibetan government. As its highest authority, he has also been a figure uniting religion and the state.

*Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, exchanges greetings with former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in June 2023 (©REUTERS)*

Regardless of the prohibitions issued by the Chinese government, ordinary Tibetans continue to display portraits and photographs of the Dalai Lama in their homes. China should not turn a blind eye to the reality that the Dalai Lama continues to be a pillar of spiritual support for the Tibetan people.

Ever since he began his self-exile, the 14th Dalai Lama has consistently maintained a non-violent stance. Meanwhile, he has also spread awareness of the reality of Chinese oppression to the world.

In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to world peace, religion, and culture.

Regarding this latest statement on reincarnation, the international community, including Japan, should support the position of the 14th Dalai Lama. It must not accept Chinese intervention in a purely Tibetan matter.