The verdant Kangra Valley has been part of perhaps every summer holiday that I can trace back to. My grandparents home, a place of warmth and love with some of my happiest memories. Kangra has been a safe haven for many people over the years. This includes His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. After fleeing Tibet in 1959, His Holiness sought refuge in Kangra, laying the foundation for Tibetan culture and research in Dharamshala. This also made the region the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to see the depth of research and scholarship taking place in Dharamshala. Students, academicians from near and far visit the archives, libraries and cultural centres set up against the backdrop of the majestic Dhaulidhar range. For the culturally and spiritually curious, Dharamshala has become a heavenly abode. Be it to research Buddhism and Tibetan culture or to just explore the various art forms including Thangka making, a sublime, painstaking and meditative process, not for the faint hearted.
Earlier this week, as His Holiness celebrated his 90th birthday, questions on his succession were brought to the spotlight yet again. The title of Dalai Lama is rooted in history tracing its origins to the 15th century with Gedun Drupa who was recognised as the first Dalai Lama in 1391. Revered, a symbol for peace and divinity and the living manifestation of Chenrezig or Avalokiteśvara, the God of compassion. Ever since the 5th century the Dalai Lama has been seen as not only a spiritual leader but also a political one. Thus came the Tibetan philosophy of ‘Chos srid gnyis ldan’ or religion and politics combined.
The present Dalai Lama was recognised as the reincarnation at the tender age of two. A captivating painting of his enthronement ceremony which took place in 1940, was recently auctioned by Bonhams and sold for £152,800, a record for the artist. Part of the collection of Sir Basil Gould CBE, the portrait has been beautifully captured by Indian artist Kanwal Krishna.
Krishna was one of the first to document the mundane life in Tibet. A pioneer for modernism in India, here he depicts the young Dalai Lama, seated innocently yet confidently, clothed in traditional attire against a beautifully illustrated backdrop. A soft smile hides the daunting weight of responsibility on the shoulders of the young boy.
Much has changed since his appointment. Today, more than ritualistic, the looming questions on succession and continuity are critically connected with geopolitics and cultural identity. In 1995, after much controversy, debates and discussions, the Dalai Lama identified the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, his second in command. A mere three days later, the Chinese government had abducted him. His whereabouts and location till date, unknown. Amidst this continued atmosphere of political manipulation and control, could China still control the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama?
During his birthday celebrations, His Holiness did announce that the next Dalai Lama will be appointed after his death by the Gaden Phodrang Trust established by him in 2011. While this news, of the continuity of a 600 year old institution, brought a sense of solace to the Tibetan Buddhists across the globe, China was quick to reject this announcement. This opens the door to a number of diplomatic complexities. What if rival Dalai Lama’s emerge?
Many of these ramifications cannot be imagined as yet but it does place India in a precarious position given we are a country of over 100,000 Tibetan refugees. Only time will unfold the profound consequences and reverberations of the succession, one which is shrouded in uncertainty and is of immense importance to not only Tibetan Buddhists worldwide but also to those investing in China’s infrastructure and Tibet’s resources. It certainly is an era of ‘Chos srid gnyis ldan.’