Dalai Lama at 90: China’s Challenge and the Future of Tibetan Leadership

Oneindia

As the Dalai Lama turns 90, he declares his successor will not be born in China—defying Beijing’s succession claims. China, which once called Tibetan Buddhism “poison,” insists it will approve any reincarnation. India backs the Tibetan leader, with PM Modi and Minister Kiren Rijiju supporting religious autonomy. The threat of two Dalai Lamas—one genuine, one Chinese-appointed—echoes the Panchen Lama crisis. With global attention rising, the future of Tibetan Buddhism hinges on protecting its sacred, sovereign traditions.    #DalaiLama90 #Tibet #ChinaTibet #ReligiousFreedom #TibetanBuddhism #PanchenLama #DalaiLamaSuccession #IndiaSupportsTibet #BeijingVsDharamshala #ModiOnTibet #TibetanRights #GlobalFaith #FreeTibet #SpiritualLeadership #CommunistChina #CulturalHeritage #KirenRijiju #TibetUnderThreat #ChinaInterference #SacredTraditions #TibetanStruggle #AsiaGeopolitics #TwoDalaiLamas #ReincarnationBattle #DalaiLamaStatement  Also Read  Is Xi Jinping Preparing To Step Down As Chinese President? Resignation Rumours Spark As He Skips BRICS Summit :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/chinese-president-xi-jinping-resignation-is-xi-jinping-stepping-down-as-chinese-president-7794497.html?ref=DMDesc  Dalai Lama at 90: The China Challenge and the Future of Tibetan Leadership :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/dalai-lama-at-90-the-china-challenge-and-the-future-of-tibetan-leadership-7794055.html?ref=DMDesc  Operation Sindoor Reveals Multi-Front Threat: India's Strategic Wake-Up Call from Pakistan, China, and Turkey :: https://www.oneindia.com/india/operation-sindoor-reveals-multi-front-threat-indias-strategic-wake-up-call-from-pakistan-china-a-7793223.html?ref=DMDesc    ~HT.410~PR.282~PR.100~GR.125~

Transcript

00:00As the 14th Dalai Lama turns 90, the world pauses to honor a life of resilience, spirituality, and non-violent resistance.

00:11From a child born in remote Thaksar to the spiritual leader of Tibet,

00:16His Holiness has been at the heart of one of the world's most enduring cultural and political struggles,

00:23a journey of compassion and exile.

00:26Recognized at age 4 as the reincarnation of Avalokiteshwara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion,

00:35he was barely a teenager when China invaded Tibet.

00:39By 1959, after a mass uprising in Lhasa,

00:44he fled to India, where he has since led the Tibetan movement in exile.

00:49In 2011, he passed on political authority to a democratically elected Sikyong,

00:56a visionary step to separate religion from politics.

01:02Now, on his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama has made a historic announcement.

01:07The institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,

01:11and his next reincarnation will be found outside Chinese control.

01:15This has rattled Beijing, which hoped to manipulate the succession

01:20and install a puppet Dalai Lama, as they did with the Panchen Lama.

01:26China's interference and global irony

01:28Despite its atheist ideology,

01:31China insists it has the final say on reincarnation,

01:35a deeply religious matter.

01:37Beijing called for recognition through central approval,

01:41drawing global criticism.

01:42In sharp contrast, India has stood by the Tibetan tradition,

01:47affirming that spiritual succession is not Beijing's business.

01:53The risk of rival Dalai Lamas now looms large,

01:57one chosen freely in exile,

01:59another appointed by the Communist Party.

02:02As the world watches,

02:03the Dalai Lama's legacy remains

02:05one of peace, dignity,

02:07and the unyielding fight

02:09to keep Tibet's spiritual heart

02:11free from political chains.

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