Tibetans plot future, Dalai Lama reincarnation
BEIJING – As more than 500 Tibetan exile leaders gather in Dharmsala, India, this week to discuss their struggle against Chinese rule, their movement appears to be at a crossroads.
They are expected to debate whether or not they should abandon the Dalai Lama’s longtime attempt to compromise with Beijing, by pursuing a path known as the “middle way,” or if they should go for a last ditch attempt at independence.
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Tibetan Buddhist monks carry a portrait of the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala, India, on Monday. |
But overshadowing those issues, and heightening the urgency of the gathering, is the age and health of the Dalai Lama himself – he is now 73-years-old and has had two hospital treatments since August.
He called the meeting in the Indian hill town that is the base of Tibet’s self-proclaimed government in exile, but was not expected to attend the meeting because he said he did not want to tilt the debate on future strategy.
But as the Tibetan spiritual leader, his continuing influence on the movement is undeniable.
And because of his overwhelming influence, China has already taken preemptive moves to control his replacement and Tibet’s future leadership – by controlling his reincarnation.
Two Dalai Lamas?
Last year the Chinese passed a law that gives Beijing the power to approve the reincarnation of living Buddhas or lamas, of whom the Dalai Lama is the highest in the Tibetan hierarchy.
In turn, the Dalai Lama has raised the possibility to forgo his rebirth, or to be reborn while still alive so that he, not China, can choose his successor….(read more)
