Dharamshala, 30th December: The continuing debate in Tibetan and Indian circles over the Dalai Lama succession plan has refocused attention on the 17th Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje, who has lived in the United States since 2017. In August, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang stated that India was “positively considering” the Karmapa’s return from the United States. He said His Holiness the Dalai Lama had given his blessing to the endeavor.
The Karmapa’s presence in India is increasingly being seen as a prerequisite for a peaceful selection process for the next Dalai Lama. Because of the ongoing pandemic, the present Dalai Lama, who has been staying in Dharmasala for some time, has not been overseas, though he has met with visitors, including RSS chairman Mohan Bhagwat recently. The octogenarian, who is the indisputable spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, has been the subject of numerous health worries.
According to Tibet experts, Karmapa’s view will be vital in the entire process of finding the next Dalai Lama. The fact that the His Holiness Karmapa, who has his traditional seat in Sikkim’s Rumtek monastery, is the second-highest Tibetan spiritual leader due to the importance of his rank and the Rumtek monastery, is of higher significance. The nomination of the next Dalai Lama, according to Indian analysts, is a “very delicate” matter since it involves power struggles between numerous Buddhist monasteries, India, China, and Tibetans around the world.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has stated that his successor may be a woman. The spiritual process of locating the reincarnated soul and verifying that soul as the true inheritor, on the other hand, is a lengthy procedure that could take up to five years. Even after a smooth authentication process, the “emergence” of the properly trained next Dalai Lama could take at least 25 years, during which time the seat of the Tibetan people’s spiritual guide will have to be occupied by someone. In these circumstances, the Karmapa may be called upon to lead a significant number of Tibetans around the world over the next few years until the new Dalai Lama is ready to take over.
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