People’s Daily: The Reincarnation of Living Buddhas Is Not Decided by the Reincarnated Individual Themselves

People’s Daily: The Reincarnation of Living Buddhas Is Not Decided by the Reincarnated Individual Themselves

The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, published a commentary stating that the reincarnation of living Buddhas is not something decided by the reincarnated individual themselves, and that the principle of domestic search must be firmly upheld.

On Tuesday, December 30, the People’s Daily published an article titled “Historical Lessons, Guidance for the Future—Marking the 30th Anniversary of the Enthronement of the 11th Panchen Lama,” authored by Li Decheng, Deputy Director-General of the China Tibetology Research Center.

The article notes that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the enthronement of the 11th Panchen Lama. Reflecting on this historic event and understanding the historical traditions and key principles of the living Buddha reincarnation system—and their contemporary application—holds significant historical and practical importance.

The article states that the reincarnation of living Buddhas is an internal affair of China. Historically, the search for reincarnated living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism has always adhered to the principle and tradition of conducting searches within China, with no precedent of seeking reincarnations abroad.

“Faith knows no borders, but believers do,” the article reads. “The reincarnation lineage of a living Buddha belongs to its affiliated monastery—it is neither the ‘private property’ of any individual nor of any single incarnation within the lineage. Its continuity is deeply tied to the monastery and the local community of believers, and is absolutely not subject to personal discretion or self-determination by the reincarnated individual.”

The article adds that the formation and development of the living Buddha reincarnation system have been inseparable from the support of the central government, thereby establishing the ultimate authority of government approval in reincarnation matters. It has become a long-standing historical convention that the reincarnations of influential high-ranking living Buddhas must be reported to and approved by the central government.

The article concludes that, in today’s context of systematically advancing the Sinicization of religion in China and strengthening the rule of law in religious affairs governance, steadfast implementation of the “Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism” will inevitably win broad support and endorsement from religious figures and believers alike.

In exile in India, the Tibetan spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, announced on July 2 that the more than 600-year-old institution of the Dalai Lama reincarnation would continue after his passing, and that a non-profit organization he established would be responsible for identifying and recognizing the reincarnated child of the 15th Dalai Lama.

In a new book published in March, the Dalai Lama stated that his successor would be born outside China in the “free world” and called on Tibetans to reject any candidate selected by Beijing.