On July 6th, the 89th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama was celebrated in Dharamshala, India and observed by the Tibetan diaspora and supporters worldwide. Beyond marking a milestone for the leader of the Tibetan Buddhist faith, this event carries significant political implications for China amid great power competition. Ironically, the one place his birthday was not celebrated was in his native Tibet, where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forbids citizens from having any contact with their spiritual leader, who has lived in exile since 1959. Each year, as his birthday approaches, the repression in Tibet intensifies. This year, under the revised espionage law, police have been conducting random cellphone checks to ensure Tibetans have not downloaded his photo to pray for him.
The celebration underscores India’s support for Tibetan Buddhism over the wishes of the CCP. Despite India’s membership in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Dalai Lama remains a major point of tension. The Indian ambassador even attended the first large-scale public celebration of the Dalai Lama’s birthday in Mongolia, where Tibetan Buddhism is the national religion. Since Mongolia won its independence from the Qing dynasty in 1921, China has tried to control the fiercely independent nation, and the Dalai Lama has been a sticking point. When the Dalai Lama visited Mongolia in November 2016, China responded with economic sanctions. Although Mongolia has avoided inviting His Holiness back to prevent reprisals, this celebration clearly demonstrates Mongolia’s refusal to submit to Chinese suzerainty.
In another blow to the CCP, representatives from China’s closest ally, Russia, also attended the celebration in Ulaanbaatar. This is because the Mongolic republics within the Russian Federation, including Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Tuva, follow Tibetan Buddhism. While the CCP can exert significant influence over economically dependent states, religion remains a point of resistance.
As the Dalai Lama ages, succession issues become critical, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aiming to select the reincarnated monks who will replace key figures in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly the Dalai Lama. The CCP seeks to control not only earthly religious practices but also extends its reach into the next life through harsh laws, ironically referred to by critics as “rebirth control.”
Through the state-controlled Buddhist Association of China (BAC), the CCP has long sought to control the reincarnation of prominent Tibetan Buddhist monks in order to suppress Tibetan cultural identity. Violating CCP regulations on recognizing reincarnations carries stiff penalties. In 2022, when 86-year-old lama (lama being a generic term like “guru”) Tulku Dawa died in Lhasa, the CCP attempted to keep it secret. He had been arrested in 2010 for seeking guidance from the exiled Dalai Lama in selecting the reincarnation of the Rongpo Chöje, the chief lama of the Shag Rongbo monastery. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, while the monastery underwent a stringent reeducation program, resulting in one suicide and the expulsion of numerous monks.
The Chinese government mouthpiece, Global Times, justified the CCP’s control over reincarnations, stating, “Living Buddhas can be a peaceful power, but also a ‘weapon of mass destruction‘ if used by evil or splittist forces.” A living Buddha is someone recognized as the reincarnation of a great monk such as the Dalai Lama. By “splittist forces,” Beijing refers to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, whom the CCP views as a separatist and has even labeled a terrorist, despite his consistent advocacy for non-violence and genuine autonomy rather than independence. The Dalai Lama has maintained that while the CCP could handle Tibet’s external affairs, he seeks true autonomy, including freedom of religion, culture, and language, within China’s framework.
The Global Times article stated, “Some Living Buddhas affirmed by the 14th Dalai Lama, the highest lama of Tibetan Buddhism, have been behind riots or self-immolations that aim to further the cause of Tibetan independence.” This quote was from Zhou Quan, a columnist at m4.cn, a Beijing-based political commentary website dedicated to “helping young Chinese build healthy, constructive, and progressive minds.” In the CCP’s estimation, building a healthy mind includes rejecting religion. Under Chinese law, children under 18 are barred from any religious affiliation. The CCP also believes that for young people to have healthy, progressive minds, they must reject traditional cultures that are not Han Chinese. This particularly applies to Uyghur culture in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), as well as Mongolian culture in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR), and Tibetan culture in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
In 1995, the Dalai Lama recognized six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama, a Buddhist leader whose role includes identifying the next Dalai Lama. In response, the CCP detained the boy and appointed their own candidate, Gyaincain Norbu. To this day, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has not been seen. The CCP claims he is alive, well, and uninterested in religion or interviews.
In 2016, a similar conflict arose in Mongolia when senior Tibetan Buddhist leaders, endorsed by the Dalai Lama, recognized a U.S.-born boy of Mongolian descent as the 10th Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the spiritual head of Mongolian Buddhism. The CCP protested, claiming the right to identify reincarnated lamas not only within China but in other countries as well. Despite China’s protests, Mongolian authorities recognized the boy chosen by His Holiness. However, they did not invite the Dalai Lama to return to Mongolia. Instead, in 2023, the boy was formally introduced by the Dalai Lama in a ceremony in Dharamsala, India.
Beijing even attempts to prevent Western governments from meeting with the Dalai Lama in India. The CCP recently lodged complaints when a delegation of U.S. lawmakers, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, went to India and met with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. This move followed President Biden signing the “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act” into law, aimed at “advancing the human rights of Tibetans and supporting efforts to preserve their distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage.” He reiterated that the United States had not changed its stance on Tibet being part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) but urged Beijing to open negotiations with the Dalai Lama to find a fair resolution to the dispute.
China warned the US over Pelosi’s visit and rebuked the signing of the Tibet Act, viewing it as a violation of China’s sovereignty. It appears that China’s repression of Tibetan Buddhism, both inside and outside its borders, will continue and likely intensify unless the CCP falls, which currently does not seem imminent.