The battle over the next Dalai Lama has already begun, and it is not just a religious question. It is a power struggle over Tibet’s future, China’s authority, India’s role, and the survival of one of the world’s most visible spiritual institutions.
As the 14th Dalai Lama approaches his 91st birthday in July, the question of succession is moving from distant concern to immediate geopolitical crisis. Beijing says it has the legal right to approve the next reincarnation. The Dalai Lama’s circle says no government, especially China’s ruling Communist Party, has any spiritual authority over the process.
That clash could produce the nightmare scenario Tibetans have feared for years: two Dalai Lamas, one chosen by Tibetan religious tradition, the other backed by the Chinese state.
The Reincarnation Battle China Wants to Control
For centuries, the recognition of a Dalai Lama has involved monks, visions, sacred signs, and the
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