(TibetanReview.net, Jul06’25) –India has chosen not to take “any position” on the Dalai Lama reincarnation issue, apparently given the complexity of its relationship with China. However, not only the country’s Buddhist community as well as others but also great many authorities, groups, leaders and others in the free world have severely criticized China’s meddling in this unique Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
They have called China’s action a serious violation of religious freedom of the followers of Tibetan Buddhism, which has a sizeable following in the Indian Himalayas as well.
In the Buddhist heartland of Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar, Bhante Priyapal, chief priest of Chakma Temple and a member of the International Buddhist Council, has described China’s plan to appoint its own 15th Dalai Lama reincarnation as “totally unfair” and an extension of its expansionist policy. “Only the Dalai Lama should have the authority to name his successor,” the timesofindia.com Jul 4 quoted him as saying.
Bhante Anand, general secretary of the Bhartiya Sangharaj Bhikkuu Mahasabha, has voiced “unanimous support” for the exile Tibetan spiritual leader’s position. “The Dalai Lama is not just a spiritual leader but the King of Tibet. Only he has the right to choose his successor,” he has said.
Also, Bhante Prajanasheel, chief advisor of the All India Buddhist Forum, has said that while most Buddhists don’t believe in reincarnation as Buddha preached liberation from the cycle of birth and death, “still, the community stands firmly with the Dalai Lama.”
Leaders of the Buddhist communities in the Himalayan region and others, including the Indian Himalayan Council of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition and Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace, have also adopted resolutions, supporting the Dalai Lama’s prerogative to determine his own reincarnation as per the centuries-old old Tibetan Buddhist practice, while condemning China’s political meddling.
Besides, the spiritual head of the highly sacred Ajmer Dargah in the Indian state of Rajasthan, Hazrat Dewan Syed Zainul Abedin Sahab, has issued a statement on Jul 4, saying: The “Dalai Lama is a purely religious and divine personality whose guidance has brought peace and spiritual strength to millions across the world. As a spiritual leader, he has the full and unquestionable right to declare his successor.”
Expressing deep concern over recent controversies surrounding the succession issue, he has emphasised that this is a matter of faith for millions of followers globally and must not be politicised. “China or any other political authority should refrain from interfering or diverting this purely religious matter for political interests,” the ANI news service Jul 4 quoted him as saying.
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Meanwhile, in Brussels, a total of 34 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from four major political groups (EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and Greens/EFA) from 15 EU countries have issued a joint Op-Ed, calling on the People’s Republic of China to respect the religious freedom of the Tibetan Buddhists and cease all efforts to interfere in the reincarnation of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Welcoming the publication of the Op-Ed in the EUObserver on Jul 4, the Bureau du Tibet, Brussels, said in a Tibet.net statement Jul 4, that the initiative reflected “a strong cross-party consensus within the European Parliament in support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has shared a long and meaningful relationship with the European Parliament, having visited it on seven occasions and met with successive Presidents and Members.”
The Op-Ed called on the EU to consider targeted sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for violating the religious rights of Tibetans, including those involved in any attempt to control or manipulate the process of the Dalai Lama’s succession.
The European Parliament has repeatedly expressed opposition to Chinese interference in Tibetan religious affairs including lately in its resolution of May 2025. Besides, in the most recent EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, the EU also raised the issue of succession, calling on China to respect the religious freedom of Tibetans and to refrain from imposing a successor, noted Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT, Savetibet.org) in a Jul 4 release.
Also on Jul 4, the International Board of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) adopted a resolution in Paris, reaffirming its commitment to the rights of the Tibetan people and condemning the Chinese government’s systemic violations of religious freedom in Tibet.
The resolution underscored the growing urgency of defending religious freedom in Tibet in the face of ongoing repression, surveillance, and forced assimilation carried out by Chinese authorities, said ICT, which introduced the resolution.
The resolution accused China of defying centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist traditions and carrying out a direct violation of the Tibetan people’s right to freedom of religion and belief.