(TibetanReview.net, Mar11’25) – Bemoaning the fact that Tibet, or, for that matter, the entire People’s Republic of China is not free, the Dalai Lama has said his reincarnation will be born in the “free world”, outside the confines of that territory, which is devoid of political rights and civil liberties, and where ethnic minorities are subjected to forced assimilation.
The exiled spiritual leader of Tibet has said in a new book released on Mar 11 – some four months ahead of his 90th birthday – that he can only be expected to be born outside his homeland, which continues to be under the repressive rule of the Communist Party of China.
The Dalai Lama. who fled Tibet’s capital Lhasa in Mar 1959 after China bombarded his Potala Palace while carrying out a brutal, all-out armed repression of a largely peaceful Tibetan uprising protests, has explained his position in his new book Voice for the Voiceless: “Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama – that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people – will continue.”
China tightly controls all aspects of Buddhist religion and religious places at all levels through a hierarchy of authorities, including on intrinsically religious practices such as the process for the recognition of the reincarnations of Tibetan Buddhist religious figures, on the eligibility to become a monk or nun, and on the strength of monastics in each religious place, while subjecting the monks and nuns to political education, all in the name of Sinicizing Tibetan Buddhism, a euphemism for the assimilation of the Tibetan Buddhist culture.
The Dalai Lama has for decades publicly called for meaningful autonomy for Tibet, as guaranteed by China’s constitution, seeing this as the middle way that is mutually beneficial to the two sides.
Nevertheless, China has continued to label him as a separatist and refused to engage with him while continuing to strengthen its coercive Sinicization drive in Tibet. In fact, China persecutes any Tibetan who criticizes its policies, or calls for the preservation of Tibetan language and culture, or for the protection of Tibet’s natural environment in any form as a separatist.
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Successive Dalai Lama reincarnations since the 5th have been the temporal head and spiritual leader of Tibet since 1642 AD. The current, 14th Dalai Lama stepped down as the political leader of Tibet in 2011 to not only focus on his spiritual role but also in his most far-reaching move to fully democratise the Tibetan political set up.
The Dalai Lama has previously wondered whether it was even necessary that there should be any further reincarnation of his lineage and wanted the Tibetan public to decide on that. And now, in his book, the Dalai Lama writes that he has received numerous petitions from people in and outside Tibet asking him to ensure that his lineage continues, and says that Tibetan people’s aspirations for freedom cannot be denied indefinitely.
The Dalai Lama has also previously said that he will decide on the issue of his reincarnation, including on the matter of leaving instructions, as per tradition, for the recognition of his reincarnation, when he turns 90.
While the Dalai Lama has made those remarks earlier too, they bear greater significance at this time.
The book, which the Dalai Lama calls an account of his dealings with Chinese leaders over seven decades, is being published in the US by William Morrow and in Britain by HarperNonFiction, with HarperCollins publications to follow in India and other countries.
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Tibet has been an independent nation since ancient times, as per the Dalai Lama’s position, although it has also been subjected to varying degrees of Chinese, Mongol, and Manchu influences through the vicissitudes of its long and checkered history. Ancient Tibetan kings have also exerted dominion influences over China at various times.
China’s current leadership says it will consider talking with the Dalai Lama, but only on his personal future, if he says that Tibet has been part of it since ancient times, which he has rejected as a non-starter. The Dalai Lama has insisted that the focus should be on the political status of Tibet, not on his personal future.
Although it is seen by many as increasingly unlikely that he will realize his dream to at least visit China or Tibet in this life, the Dalai Lama writes: “The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression.”
He also writes, “One clear lesson we know from history is this: if you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society.”