Dalai Lama’s Succession: Unmasking the Chinese Communist Party’s Lies

Approval by the Chinese government was never the “most central step.” The “Golden Urn” Beijing mentions was used in a minority of cases and never replaced the traditional methods.

By Massimo Introvigne

July 8, 2025

The Nechung Oracle in trance in front of the Dalai Lama during the Long Life Prayers of July 5, 2025, in Dharamsala. Photo by Tenzin Choejor. Source: Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.

The CCP has now responded to the Dalai Lama regarding his succession.

His Holiness has insisted that “The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement, which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with tradition. I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”

The CCP has answered through China’s Foreign Ministry that “The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must be chosen by drawing lots from a Golden Urn and approved by the central government.” The official wire agency Xinhua has published an explanation by academic Li Hui. According to Li, “In the Tibetan Buddhist reincarnation system, the three fundamental principles of ‘search within the Chinese territory, drawing lots from the golden urn, and approval from the central government’ form a comprehensive and rigorous framework for succession. This system serves as a vital safeguard for national unity, ethnic solidarity, and the proper order of Tibetan Buddhism. Among these principles, ‘approval by the central government’ is the system’s ultimate and most essential step. Far from being a mere administrative formality, it carries profound historical logic, legal foundation, and practical significance. This principle is essential for ensuring an orderly reincarnation process, as well as for maintaining social stability and enduring peace.”

The CCP’s argument is historically inaccurate. However, to counter Chinese propaganda, the question should be carefully examined.

The Dalai Lama referenced his official message from September 24, 2011, in which he explained that the candidate reincarnations have been traditionally identified based on the advice of the four major Tibetan oracles (mediums who channel divinities and speak in trance) of Lamo, Nechung, Gadong, and Samyé, miraculous signs, and visions emerging in sacred lakes such as Lhamo Latso, located south of Lhasa. The Dalai Lama also explained that it is possible, and indeed has happened historically, for the soul of a lama to fragment, resulting in multiple reincarnations of the same lama being born. He also stated that a lama could “emanate” a successor while still alive.

But what happens when two or more suitable candidates are identified? In Geluk theology, theoretically, all could be reincarnations of the same deceased lama. However, practically, each high office is occupied by only one person. The Dalai Lama described “divination employing the dough-ball method (zen tak) before a sacred image while calling upon the power of truth.” This technique involves enclosing answers in small dough balls and rolling them on a pan until the ball with the chosen candidate’s name rolls off.

The Dalai Lama’s speech during the July 5 Long Life Prayers in Dharamsala. Photo by Tenzin Choejor. Source: Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.

The Dalai Lama also discussed the Golden Urn, introduced in 1792 by the Chinese Qing Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799). This method involved placing the names of candidates into a specially crafted urn and using a lottery system. The Dalai Lama stated that “this system was imposed by the Manchus, but Tibetans had no faith in it because it lacked any spiritual quality. However, if it were to be used honestly, it seems that we could consider it as similar to the manner of divination employing the dough-ball method.” He emphasized it was only used twice to select the Dalai Lama—once for the 11^th (1838–1856) and once for the 12^th (1857–1875)—but in reality, it was only used once, since the 12th had already been chosen through traditional means. It was also used twice for the Panchen Lamas, the 8^th (1855–1882) and the 9^th (1883–1937).

The Dalai Lama’s 2011 message reflected a mostly accurate understanding of existing scholarship. Since then, new documents have come to light. The Qianlong Emperor believed Tibetan Buddhism was corrupted by the practice of systematically identifying reincarnations of deceased high lamas among children of the same families. Although he accepted reincarnation, the Qing Emperor was skeptical of the Tibetan oracles of his era, though not of mediums and oracles in general, as he had his own. He considered these figures to have questionable morality and to be heavily influenced by the Tibetan aristocracy. Consequently, he ordered their suppression and the adoption of the Golden Urn, a lottery system introduced by Ming Emperors that had successfully curbed corruption and nepotism in assigning bureaucrats to provincial roles.

He achieved only partial success, as the Golden Urn was used less frequently than Chinese historians often claim—though it may have been more common than some Tibetan writers suggest. According to historian Max Oidtmann, between 1792 and 1825, the Urn was employed in about half of the major reincarnation searches. Overall, it was used 79 times across 52 different major lineages. (See Oidtmann’s key book, “Forging the Golden Urn: The Qing Empire and the Politics of Reincarnation in Tibet,” New York: Columbia University Press, 2018).

Mural depicting the 11th Dalai Lama, the only one selected via the Golden Urn. Credits.

It is essential to highlight that the oracles often still selected names for the Golden Urn despite ongoing hostility from the Imperial authorities. The CCP’s assertion that the Chinese government solely controlled the system is inaccurate, even from 1792 to 1825. Before 1792, the Golden Urn did not exist. It was seldom used after that period, when Tibetans increasingly resisted imperial Chinese control.

In 1936, the Nationalist Chinese Republic enacted a law on lama reincarnation, which the People’s Republic used in 2007 as a model for its notorious Order No. 5. This order allowed the atheistic CCP to control which Buddhist lamas could reincarnate and by what process. When the CCP refers to a “Golden Urn,” it means that the Communist Party itself will choose the reincarnations.

The three principles outlined by the CCP—“search within the Chinese territory,” “drawing lots from the Golden Urn,” and “approval from the central government”—never actually determined the reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas or other high lamas. Tibetans have consistently refused to recognize their territory as “Chinese.” The Golden Urn was only used briefly, in a limited number of cases, and solely to select one among candidates who had already been chosen through traditional methods, not dictated by the Chinese government. Although some Chinese Emperors attempted to control and influence the selection of Tibetan reincarnations, they rarely succeeded.

The CCP’s claims are unfounded. As they currently stand, they are even absurd. They are primarily aimed not at Tibetans, who are fully aware of how to perceive them, but at non-Tibetan Buddhists in China and foreigners.

The CCP-backed reincarnations, including the current Panchen Lama, are not regarded seriously by Tibetans. Instead, they have become trendy and appear “authoritative” as supposed representatives of a long-standing, authentic, and somewhat mysterious Himalayan Buddhist tradition across various temples in China. Internationally, they travel to present a CCP-friendly version of “Tibetan” Buddhism to naive Western audiences. The CCP has already begun preparing a future fake Dalai Lama to serve this role.

Source: bitterwinter.org