All religious heads of Tibetan Buddhism to meet days ahead of Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 6 MAY: All religious heads of Tibetan Buddhism to meet for a conference from 2 to 4 July in Dharamsala, a few days ahead of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s much-awaited 90th birthday on 6 July. However, there is no confirmation on whether the Dalai Lama will attend the conference.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the head of the Central Tibetan Administration(CTA), also known as the Tibetan government in exile, announced the upcoming conference during an interview with NDTV World while discussing the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and concerns about potential Chinese interference.
“We will be holding a conference of all the religious heads of Tibetan Buddhism in Dharamshala from 2nd to 4th July. And we are hoping that His Holiness will address this conference,” Sikyong Tsering disclosed during his high-stakes first visit to the US under President Trump’s new administration.
When asked whether a decision would be made at the conference, the head of the Tibetan polity stated, “ I am not sure, that has to come from His Holiness .”
The Dalai Lama, in his latest book, ‘Voice for the Voiceless,’ has confirmed the continuation of his reincarnation in the free world outside of China. However, in a statement on reincarnation in September 2011, he stated that when he is about 90 years of age, he would consult with high Tibetan lamas, the Tibetan public and other concerned people who follow Tibetan Buddhism to re-evaluate whether the institution of Dalai Lama should continue or not.
While the Dalai Lama has sole legitimate authority over where and how he takes rebirth and how that reincarnation is to be recognised, the institution of the Dalai Lama has historically carried out the reincarnation process, deeply rooted in centuries-old religious practices.
After the passing of a Dalai Lama, senior Lamas, monks and officials of the institution undertake a meticulous search for his reincarnation, guided by spiritual signs, visions and consultations with oracles.
As such, the upcoming conference is seen as a religious undertaking as well as a strategic move amid China’s insistence on choosing the next Dalai Lama.
Responding to concerns about China’s potential appointment of a successor to the Dalai Lama and the risk that future generations might accept such a figure as legitimate, Sikyong Tsering succinctly stated that the authority to decide on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation rests solely with His Holiness himself.
He asserted that no devout Buddhist practitioner would accept a Dalai Lama appointed by the Chinese government, as the reincarnation process is unique to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, found in no other Buddhist tradition around the globe.
