Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that no one but the Dalai Lama himself has the authority to decide his successor.
He emphasized that the selection of the next Dalai Lama will follow “established convention” and be guided by the spiritual leader’s own wishes.
The remarks come a day after the Dalai Lama said that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit organization he established to uphold the institution and tradition of the Dalai Lama, holds the authority to recognize his future reincarnations, categorically rejecting any role for China in the process.
“The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement,” he said, referring to guidelines that entrust the Gaden Phodrang Trust with the task. “They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable, oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are inseparably linked to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas.”
“I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” he added.
China, which considers the Dalai Lama a “separatist” for his long-standing advocacy for Tibetan autonomy, continues to insist it must approve any future reincarnation. On Wednesday, Beijing reiterated that the selection must take place in China through a centuries-old ritual.
(With inputs from agencies)
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