The Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, according to Tibetan Buddhism, is supposed to be a purely religious matter. There should be no room for any external interference, more so by the Chinese state that’s supposedly atheist. Only, it isn’t. This article is in response to the social media post by the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.
The reincarnation of Living Buddhas should follow established religious rituals and historical conventions as well as the Chinese law. Since the implementation of the lot-drawing from a golden urn, almost all Dalai Lamas underwent this process, only 9th, 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas… pic.twitter.com/VRFJH1BhUG
— Yu Jing (@ChinaSpox_India) March 17, 2025
What else can we expect from an atheist, authoritarian regime fixated on sabotaging the sacred Tibetan Buddhist process of recognising the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation for its own political ends? The Chinese Communist Party has reduced this inviolable spiritual system to nothing more than a state-controlled lottery.
Beijing’s propaganda machine relentlessly promotes the so-called “lot-drawing from the Golden Urn” as the definitive method for selecting the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. But let’s break this down in simple terms.
Spiritual Exercise Or Lottery?
This so-called ‘lot-drawing’ is a distorted version of the traditional Tibetan dough-ball divination method, historically used when doubts arose or multiple candidates emerged. In this traditional method, names are written on slips of paper, sealed inside identical dough balls and rolled in a flat bowl before a sacred deity. The ball that falls out determines the chosen one. However, if there are clear written instructions, signs or visions pointing to a specific candidate, divination isn’t necessary at all.
China is attempting to hijack this process by elevating a mere fallback method into the ultimate deciding factor—an effort to impose its colonial-style authority on purely religious matters.
The idea of so-called “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. It was used only once—likely as a symbolic gesture—in the selection of the 11th Dalai Lama.
The State Has No Role
China played no role whatsoever in the search or recognition of the 14th Dalai Lama. In fact, its representatives had to apply for visas through British India just to attend his enthronement ceremony—merely as foreign guests, like everyone else.
The late Ngabo Ngawang Jigme confirmed this in a speech at the Tibet Autonomous Region’s People’s Congress in 1989: “In reality, there was no incident of any kind whereby it could be said that Wu Zhongxin presided over the ceremony for the enthronement of the 14th Dalai Lama… It is impossible for anyone to write such a thing unless he knows absolutely nothing about Tibetan customs… What reason is there for us communists to follow the footsteps of the Guomindang, to continue telling lies on this matter just like they did?”
Unrefuted lies, when repeated often, become accepted as facts. Given China’s global disinformation campaign regarding the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, let me attempt to explain the entire issue in very basic layman’s terms.
Religious Belief And Reincarnation
The concept of reincarnation, or rebirth, is rooted in Buddhist religious beliefs. In Buddhism, all sentient beings are caught in the continuous cycle of death and rebirth across various realms of samsara, which includes heaven, human existence and hell. This cycle is influenced by karma—the actions we take in this and past lives.
For ordinary humans, rebirth is not something they can control; it is entirely determined by their good or bad karmic actions. The only way to break free from this cycle is by attaining nirvana, a state of enlightenment.
However, certain highly realised spiritual beings, such as the Dalai Lama, are believed to have control over their death and rebirth. They can choose when, where and to whom they are reborn. These beings often leave clear written instructions to guide the process. Bodhisattvas, like the Dalai Lama, have intentionally delayed their own nirvana to help guide and liberate other sentient beings.
Now, here’s the critical question: How can an authoritarian atheist regime, such as the Chinese Communist Party impose laws or regulations on a deeply spiritual process like reincarnation, which is beyond human control?
They can, of course, appoint anyone as the reincarnation of anyone—even Mao! But without the people’s faith, it’s utterly meaningless. And of all people, they know this best.
(Dhundup Gyalpo is the secretary of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. Views expressed in this article are personal)
