Lalit Mohan, Tribune News Service, 27 November 2019 Read original article here.

Dharamsala, November 27

The 14th Tibetan Religious Conference today began here today at the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration. The conference that is being attended by heads of religious sects of Tibetan Buddhism is being organised by the Department of Religion and Culture, Central Tibetan Administration to deliberate over the question of reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama.

Chinese officials had issued statements that they had the right to nominate the next the Dalai Lama.

The conference today adopted three resolutions in which resolves have been made for the continuation of the institution of the Dalai Lama and right of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, to decide on reincarnation.

During the next three days, the conference will focus on enabling extensive participation of the religious heads and other important figures of Tibetan Buddhism in the discussion and decision making on the overarching significance of Tibetan tradition of recognising the reincarnation of scholarships with a particular emphasis on discovery and recognition of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

Addressing the inaugural session of the conference, Sikyong, (head of Tibetan government in exile) Lobsang Sangay said that in the recently held 3rd Special General Meeting on Reincarnation it was declared that the exclusive right and the power regarding the discovery and recognition of reincarnations of the Dalai Lama lies in the Dalai Lama himself and the Gaden Podrang Trust of the Dalai Lama and any effort being made by China will be considered invalid as per the resolution adopted.

Sikyong said that China was meddling in the reincarnation process of the Dalai Lama not only through its implementation of Order no 5 but by threatening and putting pressures on India against interfering in the selection of next Dalai Lama.

Three resolutions

The Karmic bond between the Dalai Lamas and the Tibetan people has been inseparable and the status of the Tibetan people being extremely critical, all Tibetans genuinely wish for the continuation of the institution and reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

The authority of the decision concerning the way and the manner in which the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should appear rests solely with the fourteenth Dalai Lama himself. No government or otherwise will have such authority. If the Chinese government chooses a candidate for the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan people will not recognize and respect that candidate.

Regarding the method of recognizing the future reincarnations of the Dalai Lama, the same unique Tibetan traditional method, which has been continuously used until now, will be followed. This method conforms to the basic philosophy and tenets of the Buddhism and originated in Tibet over 800 years ago.