The Dalai Lama鈥檚 real worth in China
The Buddhist leader鈥檚 decision to arrange a successor for Tibetans outside Beijing鈥檚 control only shows the power of faith these days among the Chinese.
People line up to enter a store for Buddhist items at Lama Temple, in Beijing, China , in 2023.
Reuters
The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, announced July 2 that a charitable nonprofit, located in India as is he, will pick his successor after his death 鈥� and do so outside the control of the Chinese Communist Party. The decision, made just before his 90th birthday, has set off political fireworks in Beijing. The ruling party claims only it can make the selection for some 7 million Tibetans in China.
Yet there are several challenges for the party in its attempt to control the future of Tibetan Buddhism 鈥� along with many other popular faiths in China.
First, among China鈥檚 majority ethnic Han, the practice of this brand of Buddhism has become very popular. The nation鈥檚 drive for materialistic wealth has left a spiritual void for many in the middle class.
鈥淎s China鈥檚 cities have become more atomized and social trust has eroded,鈥� wrote John Osburg, a scholar at the Asia Society Policy Institute, 鈥渕any affluent Chinese are drawn to the sense of community provided by faith-based groups.鈥�
鈥淢embers of China鈥檚 elite who convert to Tibetan Buddhism say they value its purity and intellectually rigorous philosophy,鈥� he stated.
Second, a model for community charity with Buddhist roots in Tibet 鈥� a practice known as kyidu, which the party banned there in 2018 鈥� has spread in China, helping drive an increase in private giving outside state control. From 2013 to 2023, the country saw a 388% rise in the proportion of people who donated money, according to the Charities Aid Foundation. Much of that giving was informal and local.
Third, the current Dalai Lama has often seemed little worried about Beijing鈥檚 attempts to control a religion that鈥檚 well entrenched in much of Asia.
鈥淏uddhism has existed for thousands of years and the Dalai Lama institution for just a few centuries,鈥� he told the India news site DNA nearly a decade ago. 鈥淚nstitutions, such as the Dalai Lama鈥檚, are not set in stone and can be discontinued 鈥� there鈥檚 no problem with that.鈥�
鈥淚t seems the Chinese communist government is more concerned about the Dalai Lama institution,鈥� he added.
As with China鈥檚 many popular beliefs, from Confucianism to Buddhism to 海角大神ity, people practicing them do so for internal motivations, such as spiritual growth. As the Dalai Lama stated in his July 2 decision, he has been clear as far back as 1969 鈥渢hat concerned people should decide鈥� if the tradition of a dalai lama should continue. Followers of Tibetan Buddhism, he stated, requested a successor for him.