Reincarnation Row: Dalai Lama’s Reincarnation Not China’s Business, Says India

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Indian government has issued a firm response to China’s recent remarks regarding the succession of the Dalai Lama. It has made it unequivocally clear that only the Dalai Lama himself and the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism have the right to decide his successor.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the process of selecting the next Dalai Lama will strictly follow spiritual traditions and the will of the current Dalai Lama. “No individual or country has the authority to interfere in this sacred process,” he asserted. Rijiju, who follows Buddhism himself, emphasized the deep respect Buddhists have for the Dalai Lama and his teachings.

The Dalai Lama too reiterated on Wednesday that the ‘Gaden Phodrang Trust’—his institution—is the only body authorized to recognize his future reincarnations. This declaration gains significance as it comes in the wake of China rejecting his succession plan. On July 6, the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday will be celebrated with a major event in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. Representing the Indian government, Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh will attend the celebrations.