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The Dalai Lama says the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will proceed when he dies, ending speculation that he is perhaps the last to carry the role.
Ahead of his ninetieth birthday on Sunday, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism said the subsequent Dalai Lama ought to be found and recognised as per past Buddhist traditions.
He also said China should keep away from the technique of identifying his successor, a press release expected to anger China, which has repeatedly said that it alone has the authority to approve the subsequent religious leader.
It insists the successor have to be present in China’s Tibetan areas, giving communist authorities power over who’s chosen.
The Dalai Lama’s succession plan is politically consequential for many Tibetans who oppose Beijing’s tight control of Tibet and have struggled to maintain their identity alive, of their homeland or exile.
It’s also profound for Tibetan Buddhists who worship him as a living manifestation of Chenrezig, the Buddhist god of compassion.
Many observers imagine there eventually will likely be rival Dalai Lamas – one appointed by Beijing, and one by senior monks loyal to the present Dalai Lama.
Here’s all you’ll want to know.
Who’s the present Dalai Lama?
Tenzin Gyatso became the 14th Dalai Lama in 1940.
He fled Tibet when Chinese troops crushed an rebellion within the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959 and has since been living in exile within the Indian town of Dharamshala.
The Dalai Lama has often urged his followers to reject anyone chosen by Beijing.
The self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile he once headed before relinquishing his political role in 2011, supports this stance.
How is the Dalai Lama chosen?
Tibetan Buddhists imagine the Dalai Lama can select the body into which he’s reincarnated.
The present Dalai Lama has said previously that his successor will likely be born outside China.
The technique of finding and recognising his reincarnation lies solely with the Gaden Phodrang Trust – an organisation founded by him in 2015.
It took 4 years to seek out the present Dalai Lama, the 14th incarnation, Tensin Gyatso.
Past tradition has meant the Dalai Lama is chosen by senior monks, who seek for a toddler believed to be the Dalai Lama reincarnated.
To start out the search, High Lamas could have a vision or a dream. If the previous Dalai Lama was cremated, they watched the direction of the smoke to point the direction of rebirth.
The group often meditates at central Tibet’s holy lake, Lhamo La-Tso and waits for a vision or indication of the direction through which to go looking.
Once the search finds the boy, there are a series of tests to be certain that he’s the reincarnation.
If that is confirmed, the High Lamas confirm their findings with eminent religious leaders after which inform the Government.
The boy and his family are taken to Lhasa, where the boy will study Buddhism and relearn knowledge collected in previous lives.
What number of have there been, and where do they live?
There have been 14 Dalai Lamas since 1391, when Gedun Drupa, who lived until 1474, was named because the leader.
The Dalai Lama lives in Dharamshala, a town in India, where they’ve lived since 1959, after a failed rebellion against Chinese rule.
Before exile, the Dalai Lamas used to live within the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Many former Dalai Lamas are buried there.
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