The fate of Dalai Lama

The Tibetan Spiritual leader has kicked off a debate that apparently seems to have no end.

In an outspoken interview with the BBC, the Dalai Lama said he felt he is the last of the bohemian to hold the title, and was sceptical about the continuation of the institution itself. These words from the man who is revered and held in high esteem, by not only the Buddhists but also people from other faiths, underscores the sea change in thinking that the pro-democracy leader in exile had undergone all these years. The Dalai Lama must have had in mind the surge that communist China has made in world affairs and how quick the West has been in appeasing Beijing to further their geo-economic interests. The exiled leader, of late, had witnessed a couple of diplomatic snubs, as he was refused a visa by South Africa, and an audience by Pope Francis at the Vatican. Similarly, the subdued treatment he has met with in various world capitals illustrates the change of heart in politics towards China, by sidelining an issue that had for long been a bastion of moral argument.

The Dalai Lama, in carefully chosen words, remarked: It would be better if the centuries-old tradition ceased at the end of a popular Dalai Lama. Here he left behind an ambiguity, ie, whether that monumental change should be with him or with his successor. The gentle soul, who preaches democracy and believes in the power of dialogue, has stirred human conscience to decide in good faith the fate of his high office and that of his inwardly looking community. His biggest contribution in geopolitics, however, is on the eagerness to settle down with China for autonomy by giving up the demand Tibets independence. Khaleej Times

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