“But here in Australia, we have the opportunity to learn our culture, religion and language, which I think is really important so we can continue the Tibetan cause.”

The Tibetan Language and Culture School students in Sydney rehearse a traditional Tibetan dance. Source: SBS News

For Tibetan human rights campaigner Kyinzom Dhongdue, the upcoming celebrations bring “both hope and urgency”, with the future of Tibetan spiritual leadership remaining uncertain.

The Dalai Lama will address a major three-day gathering of Buddhist religious figures this week, as his followers await details about his succession.

Who is the Dalai Lama?

The Dalai Lama also traditionally carries political and cultural significance in the region. In 2011, he handed his political role to a democratically elected government, ending a 368-year-old tradition of being both the spiritual and temporal head of Tibetans.

How is the Dalai Lama’s successor chosen?

Traditionally, the Dalai Lama is identified after death, with senior monks seeking a child believed to be their reincarnation, guided by dreams, visions and ritual tests.

“Since the incorporation of Tibet into the People’s Republic of China in the 1950s — despite various guarantees that there would be no interference in the political or religious systems of Tibet — it would be a dramatic understatement to say there has been unprecedented interference in the political and religious systems of Tibet,” he said.

Why is China involved?

“The reason for such high anxiety is because we know that the Chinese government is trying to interfere with the reincarnation process for the next Dalai Lama,” she said.

China’s foreign ministry has previously said reincarnation of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, “must comply with Chinese laws and regulations”.

‘The stakes are high’

Dhongdue said the Dalai Lama has taken “proactive steps” to protect the reincarnation process.

“Beijing has to know that this is not going to work. The Tibetan people’s bond with His Holiness will always remain strong. If Beijing tries to install a fake Dalai Lama … that person will not be accepted by the Tibetan people as well as the global Buddhist community — and neither should the international community,” she said.

“If another person or an adult is chosen to be the successor of the Dalai Lama, there’ll be concern about their welfare,” she said.

What else has the Dalai Lama said?

He has not ruled out the possibility of an adult — or a woman — as his successor, controversially saying in a 2019 interview that “if a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive”. He later apologised and clarified the remarks.