Senior Buddhist figures in China have emphasised the importance of government approval in the recognition of reincarnated Tibetan religious leaders, at a meeting this week less than a year before the Dalai Lama is expected to announce his succession plan.
More than 50 Tibetan Buddhist monks and religious experts attended a seminar in Lanzhou, Gansu province, on Tuesday about policies and regulations for the "reincarnation of living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism", according to Tibet.cn, an official Beijing-based website.
The Wednesday report said the attendees were from "related provinces and regions", referring to areas with significant Tibetan populations, including Tibet autonomous region and the provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu.
Several elite monks from the official Buddhist Association of China gave speeches, followed by a discussion among monks and experts.
The report did not give details of the speeches and discussions, but said the meeting adhered to Xi Jinping Thought and "earnestly implemented" the ruling Communist Party's policies on religious work and Tibet, adding that the seminar would help "promote the healthy transmission" of Tibetan Buddhism and make it "compatible with socialist society".
It added that the seminar would "guide monks and [Tibetan Buddhism] followers to a more objective understanding of the historical customs, religious rituals, and policies and regulations of the reincarnation of living Buddhas".
Tibetan Buddhists would also "fully understand" that historical customs, including government approval, were "an important principle to be followed in the reincarnation", the report said.
These requirements are based on measures adopted in 2007 to regulate the reincarnation of living Buddhas, which state that the reincarnation must be recognised by Beijing.
The meeting was organised by the High-Level Tibetan Buddhism College of China, a Beijing-based school that trains officially recognised Tibetan Buddhist monks.
The article did not name the Dalai Lama, but controversy around the topic of his reincarnation has been a constant source of tension between Beijing and the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
A man stands in front of a sign marking 70 years since Chinese rule over Tibet Autonomous Region, on the Potala Palace Square during a government-organised media tour to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, on June 1, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)
Beijing has accused the Nobel peace laureate of being a "separatist" and of inciting unrest among Tibetans in China in the 1980s and in 2008. There have long been concerns that his death could trigger social tensions.
The current Dalai Lama, who turned 89 in July, has indicated that he will address the issue of his reincarnation when he turns 90.
The Dalai Lama has disagreed with Beijing over the reincarnation of several other living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism. He previously proposed ending his reincarnation, which would avoid Beijing's involvement in the matter. But Beijing has insisted that his reincarnation must follow Chinese law.
According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, when the Dalai Lama dies, he will be reincarnated as a young child. This child must be found through a series of searches and rituals.
The selection was traditionally made by respected Tibetan monks. A Qing dynasty (1644-1911) emperor tried to do it through a lottery-like ritual known as the Golden Urn starting in the late 18th century. But the tradition was disrupted by turmoil and wars in China in the early 20th century. The ritual was later endorsed by the Communist Party and incorporated into official regulations in 2007.
Following the death of another Tibetan religious leader, the Panchen Lama, in 1989, a government-led search team identified a child as his reincarnation through the Golden Urn ritual in 1995. But the Dalai Lama has refused to recognise him.
According to tradition, the next Dalai Lama must be recognised by the current Panchen Lama, who sits on the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body.
Tibet was seized by the People's Liberation Army in 1950, a year after the Communist Party won China's civil war. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
State-backed religious figures and scholars have reaffirmed Beijing's stance on the Dalai Lama's reincarnation several times this year.
The college held a seminar in Beijing on the same topic in March.
Laxianjia, deputy director of the Institute of Religious Studies at the semi-official China Tibetology Research Centre, told a forum in June that Beijing had "natural" authority to identify the Dalai Lama's reincarnation.