12. Mar 2009
Dalai Lama reincarnation must have China approval
(AFP; Xinhua) Beijing will decide on the reincarnated successor of the Dalai Lama when Tibetan Buddhism's highest spiritual leader passes away. "Besides religious rites and historical conventions, there is also a very important condition for the reincarnation of the Dalai and that is the approval of the central government", Chairman of the Tibetan branch of the National People's Congress (NPC) Legqoq told Xinhua. Legqoq, was speaking on the sidelines of the NPC meeting in Beijing. Legqoq said China's State Religious Affairs Commission issued regulations in 2007 that mandate government approval for all reincarnated "Living Buddhas", or lamas.