The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), or the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, Tuesday said the Chinese government “does not have any right” to tell India what it should do concerning the reincarnation process of the 14th Dalai Lama.
This comes at a time when Beijing has said that the selection of the Dalai Lama is their “internal matter” and that the CTA is not recognised by any country.
“Chinese do not have any right to tell India that India has no rights. If you don’t have the authority, how can you tell others that you don’t have the authority?
“So therefore, it is very important for the Chinese to know that they do not have even a single right on the matter concerning his Holiness reincarnation,” Tenzin Lekshay, Spokesperson, CTA told StratNewsGlobal in Dharamshala.
On Wednesday, Penpa Tsering will be sworn-in as the new President, also called ‘Sikyong’ of the CTA. This is going to be his second term. The ceremony will be held in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, which is the CTA headquarters. His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama will also be present.
The swearing-in ceremony will also be followed by a five-day Tibetan Cultural Festival to connect with the Tibetan diaspora.
According to Lekshay, “The Dalai Lamas have not been selected by the Chinese government. They’ve been selected through our traditional Buddhist traditions. So through the Buddhist traditions the present Dalai Lama has been recognised and the Chinese government has no role in the recognition of the HH Dalai Lama.”
“China does not have any historical legitimacy, traditional legacy or authority in the process of reincarnation of His Holiness. In the international community there have been lots and lots of people who are concerned about what China has been doing on the process of reincarnation which is a typical traditional Buddhist tradition.”
“If China is really concerned about the reincarnation then His Holiness should be the last one. First, they should look into the incarnation of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, who are their own leaders. After that the Dalai Lama comes in. Why are they so interested in His Holiness, when they hate him so much?” he asked.
The reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama is a major geopolitical and spiritual dispute between China and India, alongside the Tibetan diaspora. The 14th Dalai Lama has made it clear that he has entrusted the responsibility of locating his successor exclusively to the India-based Gaden Phodrang Trust, ruling out any interference or candidate from China.
Last week, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India for a four-day official visit, the Chinese Embassy issued a statement on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation issue, basically claiming that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation requires China’s approval, and that the “14th Dalai Lama himself was recognized through this established process.”
The statement said the reincarnation issue is one internal to China. It said the CTA “is not recognized by any sovereign country, and its leadership has neither the legitimacy to represent the Tibetan people nor the authority to make claims regarding the reincarnation process.”
It also pointed to “clear commitments on issues relating to Tibet” by India, and hoped India would continue to honour them. It also warned against India providing a platform for those advocating Tibetan independence.
