![]() The discrepancy threatens to divide the Tibetan Buddhist community and imperil relations between the world's two most populous countries, India and China.īuddhists from around the world carry gifts and offerings for the Dalai Lama during a ceremony devoted to prayers for his longevity in Dharamsala. So once he dies, the world could end up with two Dalai Lamas - one identified by the Chinese government and another by Tibetans in exile. The Chinese government claims the right to name his successor. Beijing, which has controlled Tibet since, says the Dalai Lama lost his legitimacy when he and his followers fled. It's about who truly heads the Tibetans."įor the past 60 years, the Dalai Lama has sought to do so from exile in northern India, ever since fleeing a Chinese crackdown in his native Tibet. "The Dalai Lama's reincarnation is a civilizational struggle between China and Tibetans over who controls Tibetan Buddhism," says Amitabh Mathur, a retired adviser to the Indian government on Tibetan affairs. But this time, politics may complicate the search. He's supposed to tell aides where to look for a child who will next embody his essence. Traditionally, the Dalai Lama himself gives instructions before he dies. He is the 14th Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's traditional high priest - the same being, faithful believe, that has been reincarnated for more than 600 years. ![]() Tibetan Buddhists believe their spiritual leader, now 84 and ailing, will be reincarnated when he dies. They carried fruit baskets as offerings and chanted in unison, all praying for the same thing: the Dalai Lama's longevity. Orange-robed monks with shaved heads huddled cross-legged on the floor, as Tibetan opera singers in multicolored gowns teetered under the weight of giant silver headdresses. ![]() Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world made a pilgrimage this fall to a monastery high in India's Himalayas. ![]() Listen Flanked by Buddhist monks, the Dalai Lama, 84, greets visitors in September at a prayer ceremony at his monastery in Dharamsala, India. ![]()
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