Battle with China: Who will determine the next Dalai Lama?

He's always up for a joke. A rigid protocol, on the other hand, seems to be absolutely out of character for the Dalai Lama. He has instantly de-stressed many a leaden conversation about weighty issues with his trademark cheerful chuckle. In fact, it has become the most important trademark of the spiritual leader of the Tibetans – even more so than the traditional orange robe of Buddhist monks or his large, round glasses. When the Dalai Lama laughs heartily, his voice soars to remarkable heights, and for many, this warmth is downright contagious.

The unpretentious demeanor of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner during his travels around the globe has earned him boundless sympathy for decades: The Dalai Lama, which means something like "Ocean of Wisdom," is the embodiment of the world's conscience – on a par with the Pope in Rome. Recently, however, things have quieted down for the exiled god-king of the Tibetans, which is due to his advanced age: This Sunday, July 6, he turns a proud 90. This will be celebrated with a small reception in the Dalai Lama's temple in the Tibetan exile center in Dharamsala, India, a city in the foothills of the Himalayas. He fled here almost seven decades ago after the Chinese army invaded Tibet and crushed a popular uprising there.

Just in time for his milestone birthday, wildest speculation about his successor is currently afloat. It is by no means reliable. The initial situation is already complicated: the current incumbent is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, and according to a prophecy, there will one day be 17 reincarnations. But back in 2014, the current Dalai Lama declared that it was by no means certain that anyone would have to succeed him in office. If, however, he did, he would be reincarnated "in the free world" – and quite definitely not in the People's Republic of China. As a symbol of non-violent resistance, the Dalai Lama has long been a thorn in the side of the ruling Communist Party there. And experts are therefore certain that in the event of his death, Beijing will soon present its own 15th reincarnation. Only one thing is certain: If the Dalai Lama dies, chaos is inevitable.

A possible solution to the looming dilemma of two competing successors therefore seemed to some to be a completely unorthodox idea: that Lhamo Thondup, the current incumbent's birth name, or Tenzin Gyatso, his monastic name, should appoint a new Dalai Lama while he is still alive. However, the Tibetan government leader in exile, Penpa Tsering, immediately rejected this approach. The so-called emanation is simply not common practice, and he is certain it would only be met with incomprehension among the faithful. Instead, he hopes that this question will not have to be decided anytime soon: "For his age, at 90, His Holiness is doing fantastically well, in my opinion, so we have nothing to worry about."

The Dalai Lama himself has also declared that he would like to live for many more years and help his fellow human beings. He still rises every day in the dead of night, prays and meditates, and then informs himself about current world events over breakfast. He doesn't block out all the negativity in the world, according to those close to him; rather, he continues to counter it with the power of good. For example, by raising his voice on global issues of the future, denouncing the brutal environmental crimes of the present and calling for greater efforts in climate protection.

However, since he travels less these days due to the infirmities of old age, the Dalai Lama is no longer as successful in getting these messages into the headlines of newspapers as reliably as he once was. In the 1990s, however, his appearances at events such as church conferences were real crowd-pullers, and the media coverage throughout Germany was correspondingly tremendous.

Instead, the monk made headlines a good two and a half years ago with a bizarre video sequence that dented his image as a moral authority. In the recording, he kisses a boy on the mouth and sticks out his tongue, accompanied by the request that he suck it. On social media, users directly accused him of being a pedophile. There had never been such a shitstorm against the Buddhist spiritual leader before.

The Dalai Lama publicly apologizes. He tries to explain his strange behavior by saying he likes to "taunt." But this doesn't convince everyone: Victims of sexual abuse, for example, criticize his words as trivializing the issue. Indeed, this world religion has also been repeatedly rocked by cases of abuse, some of them serious, and the Dalai Lama is accused of not taking decisive enough action against sexual assaults within Buddhist communities.

He himself says that he is "not the Pope." He therefore "does not have the power to take away someone's robe." Instead, he repeatedly advised victims to make all individual misconduct public so that state authorities could investigate the accused. "No Buddhist teacher is above the law," he always emphasizes.

Unlike Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, Buddhism is not a "religion of faith" but, like Hinduism, Daoism, and Confucianism, an "experiential religion." Its focus is not on strict commandments or religious rules. Rather, Buddhism is a philosophical doctrine according to which it is possible for everyone to attain enlightenment. And this resonates well in the Western world.

However, the Dalai Lama explicitly rejects the idea of ​​"lightly" changing religions. Religious scholar Michael von Brück, a long-time interlocutor of the Dalai Lama, describes it as follows: According to the Dalai Lama, religions should learn from each other. For example, Christianity can demonstrate practical forms of charity to Buddhists, and Christians can learn meditation techniques from Buddhists, for example.