The Dalai Lama, the undisputed spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, has said that he might not reincarnate after he dies. According to him, this is a decision that is his to make and it is an option that he is apparently contemplating.
The Chinese Communist Party, an officially atheist organization which seems to agree that the Dalai Lama is indeed the current leader of Tibetan Buddhism, has decreed that the Dalai Lama must reincarnate after he dies. They further state that whether or not the Dalai Lama reincarnates is a decision that the Chinese Communist Party gets to make. They have also apparently come up with some way to insert themselves into the process of identifying who is the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama once the Dalai Lama reincarnates (don't be too surprised if the person that they identify just happens to agree with the Chinese Communist Party on essentially everything that comes up for discussion between them).
The Dalai Lama's position on this issue certainly seems clear and is undoubtedly consistent with the tenets of Tibetan Buddhism. To say that this does not surprise me is an understatement.
In contrast, the position of the Chinese Communist Party can only be described as a train wreck of truly epic proportions. Try as I might, I simply cannot feel even a teensy tiny bit surprised.
Sigh.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/world/asia/chinas-tensions-with-dalai-lama-spill-into-the-afterlife.html
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