NEWS

14th Tibetan Religious Conference Affirms Dalai Lama’s Authority Over Reincarnation

By Craig Lewis | | Buddhistdoor Global

Senior leaders representing all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism convened in Dharamsala in northern India on Wednesday for the 14th Tibetan Religious Conference. Among the key issues tabled for discussion is the increasingly contentious issue of the lineage of the Dalai Lama, and one of the objective for this year’s forum is to draw up a plan of action on the matter. The Tibetan Religious Conference is held every three years. In addition the continuation of the Dalai Lama lineage, the three-day gathering, running from 27–29 November at the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA; also known as the Tibetan government-in-exile), will examine issues related to harmony between different schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the preservation of the Vajrayana spiritual tradition and its rich culture, and the topic of exile as an avenue of change and growth for the Tibetan people. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is expected to preside over the final session of the 14th Tibetan Religious Conference tomorrow. The conclave is being attended by some 120 female and male monastics and the heads and representatives of different schools in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, including Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, Gaden Tri Rinpoche, Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, Kyabje Menri Trizin Rinpoche, Taklung Matrul Rinpoche (representing Taklung Shabdrung Rinpoche), Namdroling Tulku Choedhar Rinpoche, Khenpo Ngedhon Tenzin (representing the Gyalwang Drukchen), and Jonang Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Representatives and lamas from elsewhere in the Himalayan region—rinpoches from major Buddhist institutes in exile—were also in attendance, as were the heads and representatives of major Tibetan nunneries. The issue of who will succeed the Dalai Lama, who turned 84 on 6 July,* has gained increasing weight as a point of political dispute in recent years in light of His Holiness’ age and reported health issues. As the head of the Gelug school of Vajrayana Buddhism and the principal international figurehead for Tibetan Buddhism, the spiritual leadership of the Dalai Lama continues to wield significant influence among ethnic Tibetans in China and overseas. The next Dalai Lama would be the 15th incarnation over an unbroken lineage that has lasted some 500 years.

“The relationship between successive Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan people has been akin to that between head and neck, or, as it were, between the body and its shadow, and therefore never ever separable,” The CTA said in a statement in its website dated 27 November. “Hence, it is only to be expected that the tradition of the continuance of the lineage of the Dalai Lamas through successive reincarnations based on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition should remain for the sake of the Tibetan people.” (Central Tibetan Administration) In a special resolution, the delegates at the conference on Wednesday issued a formal statement on the matter of the Dalai Lama lineage in the “Dharamsala Declaration,” composed of the following resolutions: The Karmic bond between the Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan people have been inseparable and the present status of the Tibetan people being extremely critical, all Tibetans genuinely wish for the continuation of the Institution and Reincarnation of the Dalai Lama in the future. We therefore strongly supplicate to His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama for the same. The authority of decision concerning the way and the manner in which the next reincarnation of the XIV Dalai Lama should appear solely rests with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama himself. No government or otherwise will have such authority. If the Government of the People’s Republic of China for political ends chooses a candidate for the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan people will not recognize and respect that candidate. Regarding the method of recognizing the future reincarnations of the Dalai Lama, the same unique Tibetan traditional method, which has been continuously used until now, will be followed. This method conforms to be basic philosophy and tenets of the Buddhadharma and originated in Tibet over 800 years ago. (Central Tibetan Administration)