China rejects the Dalai Lama's succession plan, insists his heir requires its approval
Beijing, Jul 2 (PTI): China on Wednesday rejected the Dalai Lama's succession plan, insisting that any future heir must receive its seal of approval, adding a new chapter to Tibetan Buddhism's decades-long struggle with the Chinese ruling Communist Party.
The Tibetan spiritual leader on Wednesday said the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and only the Gaden Phodrang Trust - founded by his office in 2015 - will have the authority to recognise the future reincarnation, ending speculation whether he will have a successor or not after his death.
His announcement ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday is set to intensify tensions with Beijing.
"The Dalai Lama's reincarnation must follow the principles of domestic recognition, the ‘Golden Urn’ process, and approval by the central government, in line with religious traditions and laws,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a media briefing while responding to the Dalai Lama's announcement.
The Dalai Lama caught the attention of the world following his high-profile defection to India in 1959 with a large group of Tibetans after the Chinese military under the command of Communist Party founder Mao Zedong took over Tibet.
Since then, he made Dharamsala his "adopted" home, which drew the ire of Beijing and his presence there continued to be a bone of contention between China and India, and the struggle for Tibetan autonomy may have to be continued by his successor.
His successor issue is also expected to flare up fresh tensions between Beijing and Washington as China's policy comes in conflict with the US Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, which reaffirmed America's steadfast support for the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama is revered by Tibetan Buddhists as a living manifestation of Chenrezig, the Buddhist god of compassion.
The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, the second-high priest of Tibetan Buddhism, has to go through the centuries-old tradition of the Golden Urn law procedure started by the 18th century Qing dynasty, Mao said.
The current 14th Dalai Lama himself was recognised after his predecessor's death following traditional rituals, but his recognition was granted directly by the then-central government, exempting him from the Golden Urn process, Mao said.
She also spoke about how the traditional ceremony was incorporated in 2007 into China’s official regulations, along with a clause explicitly banning interference by overseas individuals and parties.
Significantly, the question and Mao's reply related to the Dalai Lama’s succession plan was conspicuously missing from the official transcript of the media briefing posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website on Wednesday.
Mao also defended the “sinicisation” of Tibetan Buddhism and other religions under the guidelines issued by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“I believe that sinicisation of religion is not about restricting religious practice; rather, all religions must adapt to the social, cultural and historical context of the country. Tibetan Buddhism in China is a prime example of a religion that has integrated Chinese characteristics, exemplifying the process of sinicisation,” Mao said.
A commentary on the Dalai Lama’s succession carried by state-run Xinhua news agency Tuesday ruled out official recognition without proper rituals.
Any so-called "reincarnation" that bypasses traditional religious rituals, whether conducted within or outside the Chinese territory, lacks religious legitimacy and will by no means be recognised by Tibetan Buddhist followers, it said.
Notably ahead of the much-expected announcement by the Dalai Lama, China-appointed Panchen Lama, the second most important Buddhist monk in Tibet after the Dalai Lama, met President Xi here on June 6 and swore his loyalty to the ruling Communist Party.
Meeting the Panchen Lama, Xi asked him to make greater contributions to promoting ethnic unity and religious harmony, as well as the stability, development and progress in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Xi also asked him to make continued efforts to promote the "sinicisation of religion".
Since he came to power in 2012, Xi has been calling for the “sinicisation” of all religions in the country, including Buddhism and Islam, to re-orient them to function under the guidance of the CPC, which ideologically remained atheist.
The 35-year-old Panchen Lama was appointed by China at the age of five in 1995, ousting the Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was chosen as the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama.
Beijing has in the past accused the Dalai Lama of indulging in "separatist" activities and trying to split Tibet and considers him as a divisive figure.
However, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism has insisted that he is not seeking independence but "genuine autonomy for all Tibetans living in the three traditional provinces of Tibet" under the "Middle-Way approach".
The Chinese government held nine rounds of talks with the Dalai Lama’s representatives from 2002 to 2010, without any concrete outcome. No talks were held on record after Xi took over power in 2012.
In the talks, the Tibetan side pitched for genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people in line with the Dalai Lama's middle-way policy.
However, China consistently rejected his autonomy plan, stating that it covered vast stretches of the Himalayan region beyond the current Tibet Autonomous Region.
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Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
