The Indian government does not take any position on matters concerning practices of faith and religion, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday, two days after the Dalai Lama asserted that a trust of Tibetan Buddhists will have the sole authority to recognise his future reincarnation.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so.
“We have seen reports relating to the statement made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama about the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution,” he said.
“The government of India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion,” Jaiswal said.
He was responding to media queries regarding the Dalai Lama’s statement ahead of his 90th birthday which is on July 6.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Dalai Lama said the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise his future reincarnation.
“I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” the Dalai Lama said.
The trust was founded in 2015 by the Dalai Lama to oversee matters related to the institute of the Dalai Lama.
In a sharp reaction to his remarks, China said the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation should be approved by the Chinese government.
“The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama and other great Buddhist figures must be chosen by drawing lots from a golden urn, and approved by the central government,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
“The Chinese government implements a policy of freedom of religious belief, but there are regulations on religious affairs and methods for managing the reincarnation of Tibetan living Buddhas,” she said.
The issue of a successor to the 14th Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in Dharamshala in India since 1959, gained traction in the last few years in view of his advancing age.
The Dalai Lama is believed to be a living Buddha who is reincarnated after his death.
China has been insisting that the selection of the next Dalai Lama has to be decided within Chinese territory and that it has to have a say in the matter.
After a failed anti-Chinese uprising in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet and came to India where he set up a government-in-exile.
Beijing has in the past accused the Dalai Lama of indulging in “separatist” activities and trying to split Tibet and considers him as a divisive figure.
However, the Tibetan spiritual leader has insisted that he is not seeking independence but “genuine autonomy for all Tibetans living in the three traditional provinces of Tibet” under the “Middle-Way approach”.
The Chinese government officials and the Dalai Lama or his representatives have not met in formal negotiations since 2010. (PTI)
