'Will fight China's power of gun with truth', Dalai Lama vows to continue his fight against China
Total Views |
Gaya, December 25: Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday vowed to continue his fight against the communist regime in China which, according to him, thrived on the power of the gun against which Tibetan Buddhists were up in arms with the power of truth.
The Dalai Lama made the statement at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya near here, the place where Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment more than two millennia ago. He arrived at Bodh Gaya on Tuesday night on his annual fortnight-long visit of the pilgrim town during which he offers discourses besides organizing the Kala Chakra initiation ceremony.
"A survey conducted three years ago has shown a massive rise in the number of Tibetan Buddhists in China. We have the power of truth while the communist regime in China has the power of the gun," said the Tibetan spiritual leader, who had sought asylum in India in 1959 after he fled his homeland in the wake of repression by the Peoples Liberation Army.
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, the spiritual leader of Tibet, is turning 84 on July 6. With his advancing age, the question of who will succeed him, has become more pressing. Winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize and one of the most recognizable faces of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is an important figure bringing Buddhist teachings to the international community.
The successor to the Dalai Lama is traditionally located by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions. In 2011, however, the Chinese foreign ministry declared that only the government in Beijing can appoint the next Dalai Lama and no recognition should be given to any other succession candidate.
Because of the threat from China, the 14th Dalai Lama has made a number of statements that would make it difficult for a Chinese appointed 15th Dalai Lama to be seen as legitimate. The Dalai Lama is confident that no one would trust the Chinese government’s choice. In April 2019, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Asia Subcommittee that the Congress would not recognize a Dalai Lama chosen by the Chinese government.