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The Tibetan government in exile has strongly condemned remarks by the China-appointed Panchen Lama on the Dalai Lama's reincarnation, reaffirming that authority over the process rests solely with the Dalai Lama.
Speaking to ANI, Tibetan government-in-exile spokesperson Tenzin Lekshay said, "Tibetans and all the followers of Buddhism believe that the ultimate choice or ultimate authority lies with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Now it's up to China whether they want to appoint a puppet one or not, and even if they do it just like the Panchen Lama, then who will believe him? Nobody will believe the Chinese choice of Dalai Lama. He will be just like the Chinese Panchen. In Tibet, the Chinese Panchen Lama has no reverence from the Tibetans." Lekshay further questioned the autonomy of the China-appointed Panchen Lama, stating, "So what choice does China's Panchen Lama have, considering the fact that he is under Chinese occupation and he is being appointed by the Chinese government?" He said that China has repeatedly laid down conditions regarding the Dalai Lama's reincarnation, including that it must occur within China, be recognised through the use of the golden urn, and receive approval from the Chinese government. According to Lekshay, the statements made by the Panchen Lama merely reflect the Chinese government's official position. "The Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama says the same thing that the Chinese government has said in legitimising the position of the Chinese government," he said. He also criticised China's role in religious affairs, saying the Chinese government is "not a defender of faith" and accusing it of suppressing Tibetan Buddhism. Lekshay said thousands of monks and nuns have been killed, and monasteries and learning centres destroyed over the past six decades. He added that the Chinese Communist regime is not Buddhist and therefore has no traditional or religious authority to interfere in the reincarnation process. Lekshay said the Panchen Lama lacks freedom of expression and suggested that his remarks would be different if he were able to speak freely. He emphasised that the Dalai Lama has made repeated statements from 2011 to 2025 clarifying the future of the institution. "This time Dalai Lama has made it very clear that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and has entrusted the responsibility to the Gaden Phodrang, strictly in accordance with tradition," Lekshay said, adding that the authority over reincarnation is vested in the Dalai Lama himself, "not the Chinese government regime, and not even the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama." (ANI)
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