NEW DELHI, July 2 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) — The institute of the Dalai Lama will endure, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama and the spiritual leader of Tibet, said on Wednesday, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
Since 1959, Gyatso has lived in exile, with Chinese authorities labelling him a separatist and accusing him of inciting unrest in Tibet during the 1980s and 2008.
As the 14th Dalai Lama approaches his 90th birthday in July, analysts warn that discussions about his successor may intensify, potentially impacting regional stability and China’s relations with the United States and India, both of which express support for Gyatso.
“Although I have had no public discussions on this issue, over the last 14 years leaders of Tibet’s spiritual traditions, members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, participants in a Special General Body Meeting, members of the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, Buddhists from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buddhist republics of the Russian Federation and Buddhists in Asia including mainland China, have written to me with reasons, earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue,” the statement said.
Gyatso said that the process for identifying the next Dalai Lama was outlined in a September 24, 2011 statement, which assigns sole responsibility to the Dalai Lama Gaden Phodrang Foundation.
“They [members of the Gaden Phodrang Foundation] should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition,” he said.
According to the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama will be reincarnated, and Gyatso has repeatedly said that he will decide on this matter this year. He also suggested that his successor might be born outside China. Beijing, however, maintains its authority to appoint senior Tibetan Buddhist figures and is unlikely to recognise a reincarnation occurring beyond its borders.
–BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI