Why choosing the next dalai lama will be a religious – as well as a political – issue
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Brooke Schedneck, Rhodes College
(THE CONVERSATION) An updated version of this article was published on March 30, 2023. Read it here.
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, the spiritual leader of Tibet, is turning 86 on July 6, 2021. With his advancing age, the question of who will succeed him has become more pressing.
One of the most recognizable faces of Buddhism, the dalai lama is an important figure bringing Buddhist teachings to the international community.
The successor to the dalai lama is traditionally identified by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions. In 2011, however, the Chinese foreign ministry declared that only the government in Beijing can appoint the next dalai lama, and no recognition should be given to any other candidate.
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