Last week the Dalai Lama announced that he was considering alternatives to the traditional methods of selecting his successor.
For centuries, visions, divinations, tests and other methods have been used by high-ranking Tibetan lamas to identify the boy believed to be the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama. However, due to fears that the Chinese government will interfere with this process in order to install a puppet Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama has stated that he may select his successor before he dies or leave it for the Tibetan people to decide democratically.
These fears are well founded, as in 1996 thugs working for the Chinese government kidnapped the then 6 year old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the boy selected by the Dalai Lama to be the Panchen Lama, and installed their own boy in his place.
What is most surprising about all this is that rather than dismissing fears that they intend to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama for their own agenda, the Chinese government have actually confirmed that that’s exactly what they intend to do. This is what the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a recent statement:
"The Chinese government will not accept any of these proposals [by the Dalai Lama] as it wants to be in control of Tibet's future spiritual leadership."
We had long suspected that this was the case, but it was quite surprising (for me at least) that they should be so blatant about it. In another bizarre twist, the statement also comments that:
"The Dalai Lama's statement is in blatant violation of religious practice…”
I guess they would know, having done virtually everything in their power to violate religious practice in Tibet over the last 50 years.
It certainly is a worry that the Chinese government will try to install their own Dalai Lama, but he would never be a true leader for the Tibetan people, as he would not have their support. The biggest concern is that the Tibetans will lose this unifying figure that has acted as a rallying point and symbol of hope for all those in exile and in Tibet.