US counters China on anointment of Dalai Lama, reaffirms support for Tibetans’ right to choose their leader
The US, countering China’s assertion of how the next Dalai Lama should be anointed, has said it is “firmly committed” towards allowing Tibetans to “freely” choose their religious leader.
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, had announced on July 2 that the institution of the Dalai Lama would continue, and laid down the process of identifying his re-incarnation while explicitly keeping China out of the process.
The US State Department posted a statement on its website saying, “The US remains firmly committed to promoting respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans. We support efforts to preserve Tibetans’ distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage, including their ability to freely choose and venerate religious leaders without interference.”
The US greeted the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday — July 6 by the Gregorian calendar — and added, “He continues to inspire people by embodying a message of unity, peace, and compassion.”
Last year, the US Congress passed the Resolve Tibet Act, solidifying the stance on Tibet’s historical status and its commitment to a lasting, negotiated solution to the Tibet-China conflict based on international law.
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, since fleeing Tibet in 1959 fearing a capture by the Chinese. The government is headquartered at Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
In his July 2 announcement, the Dalai Lama had re-iterated on keeping China out of the process of locating the re-incarnation of the next Dalai Lama, saying the Gaden Phodrang Trust had the sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation. “No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” a statement from the office of the Dalai Lama said on Wednesday.
Immediately, a war of words broke out between the Chinese and the Tibetans.
China rejected the Dalai Lama’s succession plan, insisting that any future heir must receive its seal of approval. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning had responded to the Dalai Lama’s announcement, saying the reincarnation must follow the principles of domestic recognition, the ‘Golden Urn’ process, and approval by the central government, in line with religious traditions and laws”.
Mao Ning said the traditional ceremony “Golden Urn’ was incorporated in 2007 into China’s official regulations, along with a clause explicitly banning interference by overseas individuals and parties.
The Tibetans had countered this with Dhundup Gyalpo, Secretary of Bureau of Dalai Lama, saying the ‘Golden Urn’ — a system of drawing of lots — was used only once, likely as a symbolic gesture in the selection of the 11th Dalai Lama.
China, he had said, played no role in the search or recognition of the 14th Dalai Lama. In fact, Chinese arrived in Tibet on visas issued by British India to attend his enthronement ceremony of the Dalai Lama in 1940 — merely as foreign guests.
The Golden Urn is a distorted version of the traditional Tibetan dough-ball divination method, historically used when doubts arose or multiple candidates emerged. However, if there are clear written instructions, signs or visions pointing to a specific candidate, divination isn’t necessary, Gyalpo had said.
The “Golden Urn” traces back to the Tibet-Gurkha conflict (1791–93), when Tibet sought Manchu military support. After expelling the Gurkhas, Manchu officials proposed several suggestions to enhance Tibetan governance, including the use of Golden Urn to select the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. Although drawing lots from the Golden Urn bore some resemblance to the traditional dough-ball divination method, it was never widely adopted.
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