Tibet: Dalai Lama to Reduce Political Role
The Dalai Lama announced to students that he would retire completely within a few years. The Tibetan religious leader will retain his spiritual role but transfer his political functions.
Below is an article written by Penny MacRae published by Phayul.com:
The remarks by the official came after the 71-year-old exiled spiritual head told students in the
"The political leadership will be transferred over a period of time but he will continue to be the spiritual leader because as the Dalai Lama, the issue of relinquishing the post does not arise," Chhime Rigzing, a senior spokesman for the Tibetan leader, said on Saturday.
"The temporal part (of his role) he wants to transfer," said Rigzing by telephone from the northern Indian town of
But "you can't transfer spiritual leadership in Buddhism, you can't change that," Rigzing told AFP.
The Dalai Lama, who maintains a hectic work, prayer and travel schedule and rises before dawn each day, has lived in Dharamsala since fleeing
The Dalai Lama would like the elected Tibetan parliament-in-exile, which is the policy-making body for tens of thousands of refugees who have fled
"His Holiness has already been taking a less active role in day-to-day administration -- delegating more responsibility to the elected leadership," he said.
But "he will continue to be the spokesperson of the six million Tibetans, because he is undisputedly the leader of the Tibetans -- people look up to him to lead," said Rigzing.
Even as the Dalai Lama's political role becomes less "he will continue as a senior advisor until a solution is found to the Tibetan question," he added.
The Tibetan leader would also continue to champion human values and "inter-religious harmony," Rigzing said.
The Dalai Lama, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his dedication to
He instead talks of "meaningful autonomy" to preserve
However, opposition has been mounting among Tibetans in exile, especially those who are younger, to the Dalai Lama's quest for autonomy within
Last week, the Dalai Lama called off a visit to
One Tibetan activist in exile, who wants
"I see this as a positive movement. This is how the Dalai Lama has been nurturing Tibetan democracy," said Tenzin Tsundue, a poet and an official of the Friends of Tibet, said from Dharamsala.