Tenzin Gyatso, current dalai lama (AP)
ISMAEL ARANA | HONG KONG
15/04/2019
It was nothing more than a little scare. After being hospitalized for three days with a lung infection in a New Delhi hospital, the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, He was discharged the day before yesterday and is fine to the joy and relief of his followers.. However, This episode has reopened the tricky debate about what will happen when Tenzin Gyatso dies, what is the name of this monk, something that is worrying given his advanced age (83 years) and the subsequent deterioration of his health.
The Beijing authorities, their sworn enemies, they seem to have it clear. “The reincarnation of the living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, "must comply with Chinese laws and regulations and follow religious rituals and historical conventions.", assured Lu Kang, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, the day of admission to the hospital. Or what is the same, that the new spiritual leader must have his approval and approval, a position established years ago to guarantee the election of someone similar to their interests.
However, the affected person and his followers do not agree. In a statement from 2011, The spiritual leader assured that it was inappropriate for the Chinese Government to supervise his reincarnation. “They say they are waiting for my death and that they will recognize the 15th Dalai Lama of their choice.”. It is clear from their laws and regulations and subsequent statements that they have a detailed strategy to deceive the Tibetans.", he added before saying he would consult with his colleagues later on whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue.
China maintains an iron fist policy on Tibet and the rights of the indigenous minority
In a recent interview with Reuters, He also noted that his successor could be found outside the borders of Tibet.. Given this possibility, It may be the case that two supreme leaders are appointed, one for the Tibetans in exile and another for the Chinese Government. "In the future, in case see two dalai lamas coming, one from here, in a free country, and one chosen by the Chinese, then no one will trust, no one will respect (the one chosen by China)”, pointed out that possibility.
Given the background, There is no shortage of reasons to fear that something like this could happen.. In the year 1995, The 14th Dalai Lama named a six-year-old boy as the reincarnation of the 11th Panchen Lama., the second most important leader after himself in the ranks of Tibetan Buddhism. However, the little boy was separated by the Chinese authorities, that they hid him and replaced him with another child.
They have passed 60 years since Tenzin Gyatso, worshiped as a living god by millions of Tibetan Buddhists, He took off his tunic to dress as a soldier and escape among the crowd of Mao Zedong's Chinese troops who wanted to catch him.. Since then, has lived in exile in India, managing to become a cultural and religious icon, win the Nobel Peace Prize 1989 and be a thorn in the side of the Chinese governments that have existed to date.
Although he no longer advocates independence for Tibet, This religious continues to demand greater autonomy. The Chinese authorities do not even want to hear about this option. If they publicly describe him as a “separatist”, “wolf dressed as a monk”” and they accuse him of not having done “a single good thing.”” for Tibet, The inhabitants of this region are kept in line by applying an iron fist policy away from the gaze of journalists..
