Why is the Dalai Lama in Exile?

Yuanyue Dang

[The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader has hinted his successor may be born outside China, setting the scene for intense controversy]

The Dalai Lama has been in exile in India since the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) crushed an armed uprising in Tibet in 1959.

As he approaches his 90th birthday in July, the controversy over his successor is expected to reignite, with possible implications for social stability and China’s relations with the United States and India.

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Dalai Lama will be reincarnated and he has repeatedly said he would resolve the issue this year.

In a new book published this month, he hinted that his successor would be born outside China – a proposal swiftly rejected by Beijing which described him as “a political exile who uses religion as a cover for anti-China secessionist activities and has no right to represent the Tibetan people”.

Here is the background to the controversy and the likely implications for the future.

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Dalai Lama is the political and spiritual leader of Tibet. When a living Buddha such as the Dalai Lama dies, he will be reincarnated as a young child, who must be found through a series of searches and rituals.

Traditionally, the selection was made by respected Tibetan monks. In the 18th century during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), the Qianlong emperor attempted to use a lottery style ceremony known as the “golden urn”.

The ceremony was revived by the Communist Party and incorporated into official regulations in 2007, along with a clause explicitly banning interference by overseas individuals and parties.

The current Dalai Lama, the 14th, was selected using different methods in 1937, a period of war and turmoil inside China.

There have long been fears that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama could lead to social unrest in China’s Tibetan areas.

Dalai Lama says his successor may be found in India.

Beijing insists it has the right to approve the appointment of all senior Tibetan Buddhist figures – something strongly contested by the Dalai Lama and his followers – and it is not expected to accept a reincarnation from outside its borders.

According to tradition, the next Dalai Lama must be recognised by the current Panchen Lama, whose own selection in 1995 was highly controversial with two rival candidates emerging.

The whereabouts of the boy recognised by the Dalai Lama are not known, although Beijing has said he has graduated from university and is now working and “living a normal life”.

Meanwhile, the one chosen by Beijing holds the position and is now a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body.

The Dalai Lama briefly ruled Tibet as a young man and for a time tried to work with Beijing.

According to China’s State Council Information Office, Tibet has been under China’s rule since the 13th century, with the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties all stationing officials there to manage local affairs.

In 1950, a year after the Communist victory in the civil war led to the foundation of the People’s Republic, the PLA entered the region after a victory over Tibetan forces in the Battle of Chamdo.

The following year, Beijing signed a 17-point agreement with local political elites that promised autonomy for the region and a commitment to retain its political system and cultural practices. It also agreed to keep the Dalai Lama as Tibet’s leader and merge his army into the PLA.

In 1954, the 19-year-old spent five months in Beijing studying Mandarin and Marxism. He not only met Mao Zedong, but also developed a good relationship with another senior official, Xi Zhongxun, the father of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He also attended the first session of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body, and was elected vice-chairman of its standing committee.

But five years later, relations between the two sides broke down after the PLA put down an armed uprising and asserted full control over Tibet’s political system and religious practices.

The Dalai Lama went into exile in India along with thousands of others and he has never been able to return to China.

Instead, he became an enemy of Beijing, accused of creating chaos in Tibet – including waves of unrest in the late 1980s and 2008 – and being a separatist.

Although the two sides held several rounds of talks between 2002 and 2010 to resolve the tensions, they achieved little.

In 2011, the Dalai Lama stepped down as head of Tibet’s administration-in-exile but retained his religious role.

Washington was deeply hostile to the Communist takeover of China and helped the Dalai Lama escape. Declassified documents show that the CIA also supported Tibetan guerilla forces at the time.

Several US presidents have met the Dalai Lama, the most recent being Barack Obama in 2016, while US officials have also made regular visits.

Beijing opposes any such contact from any country’s government as interference in China’s internal affairs.

The US State Department recognises the Tibetan autonomous region as part of China, but Beijing has been angered by a number of acts that it sees as challenging its sovereignty.

For instance, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, passed in 2019, stipulates that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should be determined solely by Tibetan Buddhists and that Chinese officials who interfere in this process will be sanctioned.

The Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, passed last year, aims to fund increasing support for Tibet and counter what it describes as “disinformation” from Beijing about the region’s history, people and institutions.

India has provided a haven for Tibetan exiles and the Dalai Lama has been based in the hill town of Dharamsala for decades.

However, New Delhi’s stance has varied over the years.

In 2003, it recognised the Tibet autonomous region as part of China and promised not to allow Tibetans in India to engage in activities aimed at splitting China. In return Beijing recognised New Delhi’s rule over Sikkim, which it annexed in 1975.

But Beijing and New Delhi have never been able to resolve their long -running border dispute, which led to a war in 1962.

Much of the disputed territory is along the Tibetan border, which was drawn up during the British colonial era.

Following the most recent deadly border clash in 2020, India stepped up contacts with the Dalai Lama, including a phone conversation with Prime Minister NarendraModi in 2021.

More recently China and India have been trying to improve relations and New Delhi has not expressed a clear position on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation.

[Courtesy: South China Morning Post]

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Vol 57, No. 42, Apr 13 - 19, 2025