In a twist of religious irony, the Dalai Lama says he may not reincarnate. For the last 600 years, the Dalai Lama has been reincarnated. The Dalai Lama has been in exile from the Chinese occupied Tibet. Now the atheist Chinese government is insisting that the Dalai Lama be born again.
“China follows a policy of freedom of religion and belief, and this naturally includes having to respect and protect the ways of passing on Tibetan Buddhism,” said Mr Hua of China’s Foreign Ministry.
“The title of Dalai Lama is conferred by the central government, which has hundreds of years of history. The 14th Dalai Lama has ulterior motives, and is seeking to distort and negate history, which is damaging to the normal order of Tibetan Buddhism.”