Dalai Lama Turning 90 Amid Succession Dispute with China

TaiwanPlus News

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, turns 90 on Sunday. It comes as tensions ramp up between Beijing and one of the world's most influential religious figures on how his successor will be chosen. But where do these tensions originate? We take a look back at some of the most defining events so far of the 14th Dalai Lama's life.

Transcript

00:0090th birthday celebrations for the Dalai Lama started early here in Dharamsala in northern

00:11India. Particularly significant this year as the Tibetan spiritual leader brings an

00:15update about his succession. But as thousands come together to commemorate another year of

00:20the Dalai Lama's life, it marks one more year away from his homeland, Tibet.

00:30Born Lamo Tondup in 1935 to a family of farmers, he was just two years old when he was recognized as

00:36the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism,

00:42by a Tibetan government search party. In 1940, he was enthroned here in the Potala Palace in

00:48Tibet's capital Lhasa and renamed Tenzin Gyatso. But a decade later in 1950, China's new leaders,

00:56the Chinese Communist Party invaded and annexed Tibet, proving an immense political challenge

01:01for the 15-year-old. After protests to the international community and initially seeking

01:07refuge on the Tibetan-Indian border, the Dalai Lama returned to Lhasa a year later, with Beijing

01:13promising Tibet could have regional autonomy and that the Dalai Lama could control internal affairs.

01:19He would go on to meet with the founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong,

01:23and the most senior communist leaders. But Chinese treatment of Tibetans deteriorated,

01:30and after almost a decade of tensions and fears over the Dalai Lama's safety,

01:34a full-scale uprising broke out in 1959, which was violently suppressed. The Dalai Lama was forced

01:41to flee, disguised as a soldier, making his way across the border to India, where he was granted asylum.

01:47Ever since then, he's lived in this Himalayan town, where he established a government in exile,

01:59and has dedicated his life to advocating for Tibet and his people. On that journey,

02:04he's become one of the world's most recognisable figures, meeting with presidents and religious leaders

02:09around the world. And becoming an icon for compassion and peace, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

02:21But his influence and popularity have long been a thorn in the side for Beijing. The Chinese government

02:28accuses the Dalai Lama of being a separatist, and previous visits to Taiwan have particularly been

02:34met with an angry response. Beijing continues to demand the Dalai Lama recognize Tibet and Taiwan

02:41as integral parts of China, if he ever wishes to return, as well as pressuring international leaders

02:47to give him the cold shoulder.

02:49And this pressure from China is forcing the Tibetan Buddhist community to accelerate the timeline of

03:08traditions, as the question looms of who will succeed the Dalai Lama after his death,

03:14a matter where Beijing claims to hold authority.

03:16Generally, while a Lama is still alive, there won't be any talk about his reincarnation.

03:24That talk only comes when that Lama passes away. But in this time, the discussion is coming mainly

03:29because the Chinese government is interfering in the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

03:35The Dalai Lama has previously said his successor will be born outside of China,

03:40but there has also been speculation as to whether the lineage would continue.

03:44And on Wednesday, he put the rumours to bed, confirming that he will indeed have a successor.

03:50The Dalai Lama says that his office, the Gadenfujang Trust, has the sole authority to recognize his future reincarnation.

04:16But as many Tibetans fear, China continues to reject this, holding on to an imperial-era selection ritual.

04:23The Dalai Lama's return is to be held in the international investigation.

04:26It must be held in the international investigation.

04:28It must be held in the international investigation.

04:29It must be held in the international investigation.

04:30As Beijing seeks to tighten its grip on religious practices within its borders,

04:35Tibetans around the world fear a successor chosen not by faith, but by force.

04:40And as the Dalai Lama nears 90, so too does a turning point,

04:44not just for his faith, but the identity and autonomy of an entire people.

04:48Kamishu and Izzy Wells for Taiwan Plus.

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