In snub to China, India says Dalai Lama alone can decide his successor: 'It's not about politics'
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama presides over an event celebrating his 90th birthday according to a Tibetan calendar in Dharamshala | AP
A day after Beijing said the Dalai Lama's next incarnation must adhere to Chinese laws, New Delhi on Thursday backed the Tibetan leader, saying only he can decide his successor.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, a practising Buddhist, called the Dalai Lama the "most important and defining institution" of the Tibetan Buddhists. "This is not about politics—it’s about religious belief," Rijiju said, "No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be."
Pointing out that only the Dalai Lama or his institution has the authority to choose the successor, the minister said, "His followers believe that deeply. It’s important for disciples across the world that he decides his succession."
Rijiju is set to travel to Dharamshala on Friday to attend the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday. Going by Gregorian calendar, the Dalai Lama's birthday is on July 6 but celebrations commenced on June 30, in accordance with the Tibetan calendar.
The Tibetan leader's office on Wednesday asserted that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit organisation founded by the Office of the Dalai Lama in 2015, is the only legitimate authority that can choose the 15th Dalai Lama.
Following this, the Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday said the succession of the Dalai Lama must need the approval of Beijing and follow traditional procedures like using the golden urn. "Tibetan Buddhism was born in China and is a religion with Chinese characteristics," said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
Rejecting the Chinese claim, Dhundup Gyalpo, Bureau Secretary (New Delhi) for the Dalai Lama, acknowledged that both China and Tibet have been influenced by Buddhism, but pointed out that each has its own distinct Buddhist traditions. "Chinese Buddhism, or 'Han Buddhism', does not include a reincarnation system, which is unique to Tibetan Buddhism," he said.
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