Why did the Dalai Lama refrain from naming a successor? Is it linked to 1995 abduction of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima?

The Dalai Lama on Wednesday announced that he intends to reincarnate, paving the way for a successor to take on a mantle that stretches back 500 years after his death.

The eagerly awaited statement, delivered just days before the ailing Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s 90th birthday, quashed speculation, started by the Dalai Lama himself, that he might be the final spiritual leader of Tibet, bringing an end to a centuries-old tradition.

Speaking during a week of celebrations in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala to mark his birthday, the Dalai Lama said a non-profit institution he has set up will have sole authority to identify his reincarnation, countering China's insistence that it will choose his successor.

But why did Dalai Lama not name his successor?

As per experts, the Dalai Lama's decision to forgo naming a successor may be linked to the abduction of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.

In May 1995, six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was named by the 14th Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, a role second only to the Dalai Lama in Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy.

However, three days after the announcement, on May 17, 1995, the boy was allegedly kidnapped by Chinese authorities and his family taken into custody. They have remained missing ever since. Weeks later, China installed its own Panchen Lama, Gyaincain Norbu.

Even today, the Tibetan exile community continues to recognise Gedhun as the legitimate Panchen Lama, while the Chinese government backs its own chosen successor.

Where is Gedhun Choekyi Nyima now?

In the last 30 years, China has shared only limited details about Gedhun, like in 2007 and again in 2020, when officials claimed he had completed college and is employed. However, no photographs, videos, or public sightings have ever verified such claims.

They also stated that ‘the family wished to maintain a private life’.

Several human rights activists noted that the Chinese government should be pressured to secure the freedom of Gendun Choki Nyima and his family.

In May of this year, US Secretary Marco Rubio voiced a similar concern.

Why did China reject Dalai Lama's proposal?

Shortly after the Dalai Lama's Wednesday announcement, China's Foreign Ministry once again said that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be approved by the central government in Beijing. Spokesperson Mao Ning reasoned that Tibetan Buddhism is a religion with Chinese characteristics and that the reincarnation process must follow traditional methods, including drawing lots from a golden urn.

Mao Ning cited an 18th-century Qing dynasty tradition in which a golden urn was used to draw lots in order to identify the reincarnations of prominent Buddhist leaders.

"The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama and other great Buddhist figures must be chosen by drawing lots from a golden urn, and approved by the central government," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.

(With inputs from agencies)