Chinese lame attempts to control the appointment of the15th Dalai Lama -- and therefore Tibet -- are bizarre. The current Lama, the 14th, is 72 and afraid of the outcome of the quest for the next office-holder as chinese officials have implied that they may manipulate the process and appoint its own Dalai Lama.
Historically the living Buddhas are selected among young boys considered to be the reincarnation of the deceased office-holder. But the current Lama has said that his successor might be born outside China as long as Tibet is not free. In addition to that, he even suggested that his successor could be chosen while he is still alive, by himself, by senior monks or by a referendum.
This delicious scoop was first published by The Economist, which by the way has an office in Beijing. It is a pitty that only a few serious newspapers invest in foreign correspondents. Otherwise we would have to conform with material generated by the state-run news agency Xinhua. Ooops! Isn't exactly that what some so-called serious newspapers do? Interesting...
Historically the living Buddhas are selected among young boys considered to be the reincarnation of the deceased office-holder. But the current Lama has said that his successor might be born outside China as long as Tibet is not free. In addition to that, he even suggested that his successor could be chosen while he is still alive, by himself, by senior monks or by a referendum.
This delicious scoop was first published by The Economist, which by the way has an office in Beijing. It is a pitty that only a few serious newspapers invest in foreign correspondents. Otherwise we would have to conform with material generated by the state-run news agency Xinhua. Ooops! Isn't exactly that what some so-called serious newspapers do? Interesting...
