{"id":12359,"date":"2019-11-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/nieuws\/dalai-lama-should-reincarnate-following-traditional-tibetan-practices-tibetan-religious-leaders-say\/"},"modified":"2019-11-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T23:00:00","slug":"dalai-lama-should-reincarnate-following-traditional-tibetan-practices-tibetan-religious-leaders-say","status":"publish","type":"nieuws","link":"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/en\/news\/dalai-lama-should-reincarnate-following-traditional-tibetan-practices-tibetan-religious-leaders-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Dalai Lama should reincarnate following traditional Tibetan practices, Tibetan religious leaders say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Senior Tibetan religious leaders today adopted a resolution urging \nthe Dalai Lama to reincarnate according to Tibetan traditions and \ndeclaring that Tibetans will never accept a Dalai Lama appointed by \nChina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resolution that emerged at the 14th Tibetan Religious Conference \nalso says the Dalai Lama alone has the authority to decide how his \nreincarnation will occur and that no government has the right to \ninterfere in that sacred process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three-day conference, which brings together the heads of major \nTibetan Buddhist and Bon traditions, began today in Dharamsala, India, \nthe exile home of the Dalai Lama. The conference is organized by the \nCentral Tibetan Administration (CTA), which provides democratic \ngovernance to the Tibetan diaspora. In attendance were the heads and \nsenior masters of all the Tibetan Buddhist lineages as well as of the \nBon religion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dalai Lama, who is now 84, is scheduled to address the conference on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sakya Trizin, head of Sakya lineage, (fifth from left) addressing the Tibetan religious conference on November 27, 2019. Others on the stage are heads and representatives of heads of Tibetan Buddhist lineages and Bon religion. Photo from CTA.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dalai Lama has sole authority<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The current Dalai Lama is the 14th in his line. Each Dalai Lama is recognized as the reincarnation of their predecessors, and, according to Tibetan Buddhist beliefs, has the sole authority to decide whether to return after death in order to benefit humankind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using this authority, the Dalai Lama issued a statement in 2011<\/a> saying that Tibetans and the followers of Tibetan Buddhism should decide whether or not to continue the institution of the Dalai Lama after he eventually dies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, China\u2014which has brutally occupied Tibet, a historically independent country in the Himalayan region, for the past 60 years\u2014has made it clear it plans to appoint its own successor to the Dalai Lama, who will no doubt serve as a mouthpiece for the regime in Beijing, just as the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China\u2019s plans not only represent a major violation of international religious freedom but, given the Dalai Lama\u2019s massive popularity around the globe, would also help the Communist Party\u2018s efforts to use soft power to influence and undermine foreign countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already Chinese officials have warned India that bilateral relations \nbetween the two Asian powers will suffer if India does not recognize the\n Chinese-appointed Dalai Lama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International pushback on China<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully however, many world leaders support Tibetans\u2019 right to select their own religious leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the US, a new bill was introduced in Congress this fall that \nmakes it official US policy that the succession of the Dalai Lama is \nsomething only he and the Tibetan Buddhist community can decide on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill, known as the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, will also sanction Chinese officials who attempt to appoint a future Dalai Lama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a trip last month to Dharamsala, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback said<\/a>,\n \u201cWe believe that Tibetans, like all faith communities, must be able to \npractice their faith freely and select their leaders without \ninterference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brownback added: \u201cThe international community must work together now \nto make clear we stand unequivocally with the people of Tibet.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voice of Tibetans<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Tibetans themselves have also made their views on the Dalai Lama\u2019s reincarnation clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a general meeting in October, Tibetan representatives unanimously passed a resolution<\/a> stating that China has no right to interfere in the reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resolution adopted at today\u2019s religious leaders\u2019 conference \nstrengthens the position of the Tibetan Buddhist community and its \nallies in the US and across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is the text of the resolution from the website of the CTA<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n