There's about to be two Dalai Lamas

Quick Overview

The central dilemma surrounding the Dalai Lama's succession is that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) plans to hijack the reincarnation process to install its own puppet 15th Dalai Lama, a move the current 14th Dalai Lama strongly opposes, stating he will decide whether the institution continues or who succeeds him when he is about ninety, and that any candidate named by China would be illegitimate, leading to potential global conflict over the succession.

Key Points: The 14th Dalai Lama announced in 2011 that he would consult Tibetan Buddhist leaders and the public around age 90 to re-evaluate and decide if the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue, or how the 15th Dalai Lama should be recognized. The CCP already attempted to install its own Panchen Lama in 1995, Gyaincain Norbu, defying the Dalai Lama's choice who subsequently vanished from public view, demonstrating China's intent to control the line of succession. Historically, the selection of Dalai Lamas involved recognizing the reincarnation of the previous one, a process the CCP attempted to control during the Qing Dynasty using a golden urn ritual, which the 14th Dalai Lama rejects for his own succession. The current Dalai Lama advocates for non-violence, contrasting with the CCP's violent suppression of Tibetan culture and revolts, such as the unrest in 1987 and 2008. The current Dalai Lama is a Nobel Peace Prize winner (1989), activist, and humanitarian who has garnered global support for the Tibetan cause from figures like Nelson Mandela and Richard Gere. The video highlights that approximately 7,000,000 Tibetan Buddhists worldwide look to the Dalai Lama, with 94,000 living in India. The core conflict is that the 14th Dalai Lama insists the decision about his succession rests with him and the Tibetan people, while China asserts its right to approve the reincarnation, creating a situation where there could be two competing Dalai Lamas.

Context: This video explores the complex succession dilemma facing the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, centered on the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, who is currently 80+ years old. The context involves the historical role of the Dalai Lama as the spiritual leader of Tibet, the Chinese occupation of Tibet since 1950, and the CCP's historical and ongoing interference in Tibetan religious matters, including the installation of a rival Panchen Lama.