Dalai Lama may appoint successor or allow election

THE Dalai Lama says he may appoint a successor, or rely on an election before his death in a break with tradition, a newspaper reported yesterday, following recent orders that China must approve Tibet’s spiritual leaders.

According to centuries of Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the search for the reincarnation of spiritual leaders, or lamas — including the Dalai Lama — has been carried out by Tibetan monks following the leaders’ deaths.

“The Tibetan people would not support a successor selected by China after my death,” the Dalai Lama was quoted as saying on a trip to Japan by the Sankei Shimbun, a national daily.

“If the Tibetan people wish to uphold the Dalai Lama system, one possibility would be to select the next Dalai Lama while I am still living,” he was quoted as saying in an interview.

“Among options being considered are a democratic selection by the high monks of Tibetan Buddhism, or the appointment of a successor by myself,” he said.

The exiled leader also accused Chinese authorities of stepping up persecution of Tibetan monks and civilians.

China’s new order, which came into force in September, states that all future lama appointments related to Tibetan Buddhism “must get government approval,” according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

It also prevents any outside source from having “influence” in the selection process, the agency said.