The Buddha Must Keep Smiling: As India Rejects China’s Claim Over Dalai Lama’s Reincarnation, A New Chapter In Indo-Tibetan Ties Unfolds

New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, a practicing Buddhist, firmly rebuffed China’s claim to control the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation process, asserting that only the Dalai Lama and established Buddhist traditions hold the authority to decide his successor.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebrations in Dharamshala on July 6, Rijiju declared, “The Dalai Lama is the most important and defining institution for Buddhists, and only he can determine his reincarnation. No one else has the right to decide it.”

His remarks, dismissing China’s assertions as baseless, have sparked a fresh diplomatic row, with Beijing urging India to “be fully aware” of the sensitivities around Tibet and recognise the Dalai Lama’s “anti-separatist nature,” according to China’s foreign ministry.

Rijiju’s stance underscores India’s long standing support for the Tibetan cause, rooted in its hosting of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile since 1959, when the spiritual leader fled Lhasa following China’s brutal suppression of the Tibetan Uprising.

The Tibetan cause, centered on preserving cultural and religious autonomy, remains critical as China intensifies its control over Tibetan Buddhism.

The 1950 invasion by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), misbranded as the “Peaceful Liberation of Tibet,” marked the start of China’s annexation, followed by the 1959 massacre in Lhasa, where over 80,000 Tibetans were killed.

During China’s Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), thousands of monasteries were destroyed, and religious practices were banned, prompting the Dalai Lama to accuse China of cultural genocide.

In 1995, China abducted the 6-year-old Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and appointed its own, Gyancain Norbu, to manipulate Tibetan spiritual affairs.

These actions, experts argue, strip China of any moral or legal standing to dictate the Dalai Lama’s succession.

India’s support for Tibetan autonomy aligns with its commitment to religious freedom and human rights, positioning it as a moral counterweight to China’s authoritarian overreach.

By hosting the Dalai Lama’s milestone birthday and endorsing his authority over reincarnation, India signals its resolve to protect Tibetan heritage.

“India has a responsibility to amplify Tibetan voices and ensure their cultural identity survives China’s oppression,” said Tenzin Dorjee, a spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala.

However, India must navigate this stance with geopolitical nuance, given its acknowledgment of the One China Policy.

As the Dalai Lama, now 90, reaffirms that only he and Tibetan Buddhist leaders can select his successor, India’s resolute stance, articulated by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, delivers a powerful rebuke to China’s colonial hold over Tibet’s spiritual and cultural heart.

With the succession dispute intensifying, India must seize this moment to press China harder for Tibetan autonomy, leveraging its position as a sanctuary for Tibetan culture to challenge Beijing’s expansionist ambitions.

By amplifying the Tibetan cause and rejecting China’s overreach, India can curb Beijing’s aggressive tendencies, reinforcing its role as a regional defender of human rights and Buddhist heritage and ensure that the Buddha must keep smiling.