All Dalai Lama devotees and followers adamantly believe that the Tibetan spiritual leader alone should have the power to choose his successor, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Friday. Speaking to the reporters, Rijiju made the comments, but he made it clear that he was not reacting to China's rejection of the Dalai Lama's succession plan or expressing the official stance of the Indian government.
"The Dalai Lama issue is clear. People who believe in the Dalai Lama and practise Buddhism all over the world want him to choose his successor. Neither the government nor I need to speak. He alone will decide who the next Dalai Lama is," Rijiju said. The Union Minister refused to comment when questioned about China's remarks about the succession. "I don't want to respond to what China said. As a devotee, I speak. I believe in the Dalai Lama. His supporters think he ought to pick his own successor," he stated.
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, made the comments just before his 90th birthday, reaffirming that the Dalai Lama's sacred institution will endure. He announced that his reincarnation would only be recognised by the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit organisation founded by the Office of the Dalai Lama in 2015. No outside force can impede this process, he claimed.
The announcement, which was made public on Wednesday after being made by the Dalai Lama's office on May 21, clarified long-standing rumours that the 15th Dalai Lama would succeed him. However, this succession plan has been rejected by China. The Chinese government maintains that Beijing must formally approve any subsequent Dalai Lama incarnations. The long-running conflict between the Chinese Communist Party and the Tibetan Buddhist community over political and spiritual autonomy has been made more difficult by this insistence.
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Rijiju had expressed strong support for the Dalai Lama's autonomy in this regard on Thursday as well. He had told reporters that the Tibetan spiritual leader's wishes and accepted religious practices were the only ways to settle the reincarnation issue.
According to Rijiju, "the Dalai Lama is the most significant and defining institution for Buddhists." All of his adherents hold that the Dalai Lama's own decision and customs alone should be used to determine his incarnation. Nobody else is allowed to get involved. Although personal in nature, Rijiju's remarks reflect the views of millions of Buddhists worldwide and draw attention to the delicate geopolitical issues surrounding the succession of the Dalai Lama, particularly as China increasingly exerts influence over Tibetan affairs.
Also Read: India asserts only Dalai Lama can choose his successor
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