China's foreign ministry criticized the Dalai Lama sharply after complaints in his new book, Voice for the Voiceless, that the future Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader will be born beyond China's borders, Reuters said.
To this remark, the ministry claimed, "He has no authority to represent Tibet's people. Reincarnations of the living Buddha, including Dalai Lama, should follow the laws of the nation."
Moreover, officials underlined, "Reincarnation is a unique practice of Tibetan Buddhism, and the living Buddha of Dalai Lama's name was determined by the central government."
In a press conference on Monday, asked about the book, a foreign ministry spokesman labeled the Dalai Lama "a political exile who is involved in anti-China separatist activities in the guise of religion." The official went on to explain that his comments would not affect China's stance or Tibet's rule. Though Beijing has asserted that it has the right to choose the succeeding Dalai Lama, the Tibetan head of state has already stated that the person who would be chosen by China would not be accepted.
The Dalai Lama's Successor
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, escaped to India in 1959 together with thousands of Tibetans after a failed rebellion against communist China's Mao Zedong. He reaffirms in his book that his next incarnation will be born in "a free world" outside China. He had also hinted earlier that the next head of Tibetan Buddhism might come from somewhere like India, where he now lives.
"The Tibetan people's right to be masters of their own country cannot be denied indefinitely, nor can their desire for freedom be stifled forever by repression," he said in a passage from his book, as quoted by Reuters.
Looking back at history, he said, "One obvious lesson we learn from history is this: if you make people permanently miserable, you cannot have a stable society."
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