Dalai Lama says his successor will be born in ‘free world’ outside China

The Dalai Lama’s successor will be born outside China, the spiritual leader said in his new book.

This is the first time the 89-year-old Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader has explicitly said that his reincarnation will take place in the “free world” to ensure the continuation of the Tibetan cause.

China has previously insisted that it will choose his successor, but the Dalai Lama rejects this, warning that any Beijing-appointed figure will not be respected.

He stated in his book “Voice for the Voiceless: Over Seven Decades of Struggle with China for My Land and My People” – an account of his dealings with Chinese leaders – that Tibet remained “in the grip of repressive Communist Chinese rule” and that the struggle for its freedom will persist “no matter what”, even after his death.

“Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama — that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people — will continue,” the Dalai Lama wrote in his book, which was released on Tuesday in the US.

China sees Tibet as an integral part of its territory and views calls for autonomy or independence as threats to its sovereignty.

The Dalai Lama, who resigned as the political leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile in 2011 to prioritise his spiritual role, has denied seeking Tibetan independence. Instead, he advocates the “Middle Way” approach, which calls for greater autonomy for the predominantly Buddhist region.

In 1959, at the age of 23, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, escaped to India with thousands of Tibetans following a failed revolt against Communist rule under Mao Zedong and set up a government in exile.

Beijing regards the Dalai Lama as a “separatist” despite his 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded for his nonviolent advocacy of the Tibetan cause.

At a press briefing on Monday, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry dismissed the Dalai Lama as “a political exile who is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion.

“On the Tibet issue, China’s position is consistent and clear. What the Dalai Lama says and does cannot change the objective fact of Tibet’s prosperity and development.”

According to Tibetan beliefs, the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reborn as a child after his death. The current Dalai Lama was enthroned when he was four and a half years old and renamed Tenzin Gyatso.

He had earlier suggested that the lineage of spiritual leaders could end with him. In his book, however, the Dalai Lama states that for over a decade, he has received numerous petitions from a diverse range of Tibetans, including senior monks and those living both within Tibet and abroad, “uniformly asking me to ensure that the Dalai Lama lineage be continued”.

The Dalai Lama has announced plans to share details about his succession around his 90th birthday in July.

Observers note that China seeks to control Tibetans by interfering in the selection of the Dalai Lama. In response to China’s threat, the 14th Dalai Lama has made several statements over the years which were aimed at undermining the legitimacy of any 15th Dalai Lama appointed by Beijing.

In April 2019, US Senator Cory Gardner said during a Senate Foreign Relations Asia Subcommittee hearing that Congress would not recognise any Dalai Lama appointed by the Chinese government.

Set for release on Tuesday, the 14th Dalai Lama’s book will be published in the US by William Morrow and in Britain by HarperNonFiction, with HarperCollins editions to follow in India and other countries.

“Almost seventy-five years after China’s initial invasion of Tibet, the Dalai Lama reminds the world of Tibet’s unresolved struggle for freedom and the hardship his people continue to face in their own homeland,” Harper Collins says on its website about the book.

“He offers his thoughts on the geopolitics of the region and shares how he personally was able to preserve his own humanity through the profound losses and challenges that threaten the very survival of the Tibetan people.”