The Dalai Lama has shared plans for his succession. China has other ideas

2 day_ago 8

World·Analysis

As the Dalai Lama's 90th day approaches, a standoff betwixt the Tibetan spiritual person and the Chinese authorities has immoderate experts informing of a aboriginal wherever 2 purported Dalai Lamas each involvement assertion to the title.

Tibetan spiritual leader's non-profit and the Chinese authorities each program to sanction successor

Salimah Shivji · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 2:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Two hands clasp a smartphone horizontally. The telephone displays an representation of the Dalai Lama speechmaking disconnected 2 pieces of paper. Chyrons connected the surface say, "OHHDL" and "TTV"

It was quality that galore Tibetan Buddhists had been anxiously waiting for, arsenic the Dalai Lama gathered his elder monks successful Dharamshala, the Himalayan Indian municipality wherever helium has lived successful exile for decades: a wide program for his succession.

In a pre-recorded video message, the Dalai Lama, who volition crook 90 connected Sunday and had antecedently speculated that helium could beryllium the past of his line, confirmed that helium volition beryllium reincarnated and that the relation helium occupies volition proceed aft his death.

He added that the Dalai Lama's non-profit foundation, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, has the "sole authority" to admit his reincarnated self.

"No 1 other has immoderate specified authorization to interfere successful this matter," helium said.

WATCH | Dalai Lama says his non-profit volition sanction his successor:

Dalai Lama says his non-profit, not China, volition sanction his successor

The Dalai Lama says a non-profit that helium has founded volition person the sole authorization to admit his aboriginal reincarnation, countering China's insistence that it volition take the successor of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

His connection was intelligibly aimed astatine blocking China from attempting to power the process of identifying the aboriginal spiritual leader, whom Tibetan contented maintains is reincarnated aft his death.

The 14th Dalai Lama, calved arsenic Lhamo Dhondup connected July 6, 1935, fled Tibet for India successful 1959 aft after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The clarification that helium volition beryllium reborn whitethorn person prompted joyousness and alleviation among galore Tibetans, but determination are risks. There could beryllium a enactment vacuum for respective years portion the hunt for the reincarnated Dalai Lama goes on, and arsenic his successor grows up and is trained.

Details of reincarnation are not usually discussed portion a Dalai Lama is alive, said the mean of Tibet's authorities oracle, Thupten Ngodup. But this clip it's a governmental issue.

"Mainly due to the fact that the Chinese authorities is interfering successful the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama," Ngodup said. "Otherwise determination won't beryllium immoderate treatment arsenic agelong arsenic the Dalai Lama is inactive alive."

The Dalai Lama has successful caller months talked astir his successor being calved extracurricular of China — a determination that has the imaginable to choler Beijing. It considers the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize successful 1989, a separatist who is agitating for an autarkic Tibet.

China responds

It took lone a fewer hours for China to respond forcefully to his statement, countering that the Chinese authorities would beryllium the 1 to o.k. the adjacent Dalai Lama.

Chinese officials program to gully names of imaginable reincarnations from an urn, an imperial contented dating to 1793.

In Tibetan tradition, the hunt for the reincarnated Dalai Lama starts aft the existent 1 dies. The existent Dalai Lama was identified arsenic the reincarnation of the erstwhile person erstwhile helium was 2 years old.

Portrait of a antheral outside. Trees are disposable down him.

After helium fled his homeland, helium settled successful Dharamshala successful bluish India and started travelling the satellite to advocator for much autonomy for the Tibetan people.

The signifier is acceptable for a fierce and contentious conflict betwixt the rival succession plans.

Fears that the decease of the aging Dalai Lama would origin his spiritual bureau to falter nether Chinese unit person intensified successful caller months, and it's wide believed that yet determination volition beryllium 2 competing Dalai Lamas — 1 identified by elder Tibetan monks and the different chosen by Beijing.

There is already a precedent: the 11th Panchen Lama, different high-ranking spiritual authorization successful Tibet, disappeared soon aft helium was recognized by the Dalai Lama. The six-year aged and his household were ne'er seen again, and Beijing appointed different lad successful his place. The replacement, who is often quoted successful Chinese state-run media praising the country's policies connected Tibet, is seen arsenic an imposter by galore Tibetans.

'The conflict volition continue'

When the Dalai Lama wrote successful his memoir Voice for the Voiceless past March that his successor would beryllium calved successful the escaped satellite extracurricular China, galore took notice, said Amitabh Mathur, formerly an advisor to the Indian authorities connected Tibetan affairs.

"It's a awesome [to Tibetans] — bash not get taken successful by what the Chinese archer you," Mathur told CBC News. "It gives a consciousness of optimism, a consciousness of anticipation to the radical wrong Tibet that the conflict volition continue."

Mathur believes Beijing is hoping the Tibetan state question opposing Chinese regularisation successful the portion volition dice down aft the existent Dalai Lama is gone. "I deliberation they place the full conflict with the property of His Holiness," Mathur said, pointing to the Dalai Lama's charisma, which draws large planetary attraction and celebrities to the Tibetan cause.

In a achromatic and achromatic photo, a smiling antheral successful glasses stands among different people.

China volition astir apt propulsion different countries to admit its prime for the adjacent Dalai Lama and endanger to punish those who endorse the spiritual person designated by elder Tibetan monks, said Srikanth Kondapalli, a prof of China studies astatine New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University.

He believes Beijing volition mostly absorption its powers of persuasion connected convincing galore Belt and Road Initiative countries, which person important infrastructure concern dollars, to "reiterate that Tibet is portion of China", and truthful that China has the close to o.k. the adjacent Dalai Lama.

Trump a wildcard

The Tibetan broadside is counting connected enactment from the United States, which has agelong backed much state for Tibet and pushed for talks betwixt China and the Dalai Lama. But with Donald Trump successful office, that mightiness not beryllium a given.

Cuts to overseas assistance programs imposed by the Trump medication earlier this twelvemonth slashed immoderate $22 cardinal successful yearly backing for Tibetans successful exile — much than fractional of that government's budget. But, besides Wednesday, the person of the Tibetan government-in-exile told reporters that they had conscionable heard a time oregon 2 earlier that the U.S. was reversing that decision.

Kondapalli isn't convinced American leaders are arsenic funny successful championing the Tibetan origin arsenic they utilized to be.

"The Trump medication today, adjacent though [Trump] launched tariff wars, helium has been precise brushed connected China," the prof said.

Two monks thin to the microphone connected the Dalai Lama's caput and face.

India is besides successful a pugnacious spot arsenic big to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government-in-exile and the largest fig of Tibetan exiles successful the world. The country's leaders person seldom shown overt enactment for the Dalai Lama, disquieted astir whether that would provoke its neighbour, China, and further inflame bilateral tensions.

Some, similar Mathur, deliberation India should beryllium much wide that reincarnation is up to Tibetan spiritual leaders alone. The authorities should say, "It's nary of our business; it is lone their business," helium told CBC News.

But mostly, helium said, the question for galore Tibetans arsenic the Dalai Lama's 90th day celebrations proceed this week, is however to support their individuality intact aft he's gone.

"He is specified a motivation beacon," Mathur said. "All the hopes and aspirations of Tibetans are benignant of wrapped astir him."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Salimah Shivji is CBC's South Asia correspondent, based successful Mumbai. She has covered everything from earthy disasters and conflicts, clime alteration to corruption crossed Canada and the satellite successful her astir 2 decades with the CBC.