Himachal Pradesh: The Dalai Lama has clearly stated for the first time in his new book ‘Voice of the Voiceless’ that he will be reborn outside China or Tibet. He has said in his book that he will be born in the free world, to ensure that the institution of the Dalai Lama continues in its traditional role of protecting spiritual leadership. The Dalai Lama’s announcement is seen by many Tibetans as a deviation from the middle way he proposed to solve the Tibet issue and the Dalai Lama’s declining trust in the Chinese government. The Dalai Lama had announced the Middle Way Approach to solve the Tibetan issue in 2011, in which he proposed meaningful autonomy for Tibet under Chinese sovereignty. The approach, which sought meaningful autonomy for Tibet instead of complete independence, was seen as the Dalai Lama’s soft approach to solving the issue. Despite accepting the idea of the Middle Way Approach, the Chinese government never initiated talks on the subject. Tenzin Tsundue, a prominent Tibetan activist known for his protests against China, told The Tribune, “The declaration that His Holiness will be reborn in the free world has a very different resonance for the Tibetan community.
All this happened when we could not understand how his compassion made him trust China for a solution through dialogue when China continued to abuse him for 75 years. This statement finally frees Beijing from the Tibetan faith factor, in a way to say that we will find a solution with the support of India and the international community.” Lobsang Wangyal, a Tibetan shaman famous for organising the Miss Tibet contest, told The Tribune, “The essence of His Holiness’ guidance to the Tibetan freedom movement is that while we hope for the best, we must prepare for the worst. Preparing to be born outside Tibet is to prepare for the worst, while also looking at the constantly changing geopolitical scenarios.” He said that to safeguard his mission and the hopes of the Tibetan people, he would not allow himself to be reborn in territory controlled by China. He said China would obviously appoint its own Dalai Lama, but this option would lack legitimacy and would not be accepted by Tibetans or the global community.
