Stories
Next Dalai Lama will be born in the free world says Penpa Tsering
- •Penpa Tsering, the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, stated that the next Dalai Lama will be born in a free world.
- •The selection process for the next Dalai Lama will begin only after the passing of the current Dalai Lama, following religious traditions and prophecies.
- •China aims to control the reincarnation process, but Penpa Tsering questioned how a government that rejects reincarnation can interfere in religious matters.
- •Citing the 1995 Panchen Lama controversy, Tsering warned that China might attempt to use its own appointed figure to influence the succession.
Key Questions Answered
The responsibility of finding and recognizing the next Dalai Lama has been entrusted to the Gaden Phodrang Trust, as stated by the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile.
China wants to control the reincarnation process to ensure its approval is required, aiming to influence the selection of religious figures in Tibet. Critics note that an officially atheist government claiming a decisive role in religious succession contradicts traditional practices.
In 1995, the Dalai Lama recognized a young boy as the 11th Panchen Lama, who subsequently disappeared, after which China appointed its own candidate. Penpa Tsering warned that China could similarly use its own chosen figure to interfere with and influence future Tibetan leadership successions.
