Date: May 25, 2026
Chinese Embassy's latest comments demanding New Delhi to play no role in the Dalai Lama's reincarnation, nor facilitate the Central Tibetan Administration, requires a stern response on both history and ethical grounds. The position of the Dalai Lama is not a political position to be appointed by the state. It is a lineage of a living tradition of over six centuries that is entirely a Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
China's claim that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lamas has historically been in the hands of the central government of China is a gross misinterpretation of history. The Qing Dynasty's 1793 "Golden Urn" system was not only unilateral in its inception, but was also honorarily ignored in practice.
Red Lantern Analytica maintains that the only authority regarding the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama rests solely with the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and His Holiness The Dalai Lama.