Posted by Pete Speller | 2

The New Internationalist

http://www.newint.org/blog/2011/03/14/bowing-out/?utm_medium=ni-email&utm_source=message&utm_campaign=intl-enews-2011-03b

As thousands of people all over the world marched through towns and cities last Saturday to mark the 52nd anniversary of the Lhasa Uprising in Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama announced that he will devolve his power to the Central Tibetan Administration (aka Tibetan Government in Exile) and the Kalon Tripa (elected Prime Minister). This move ends the role of the Dalai Lamas as political leader of Tibet which was established by Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, in the 17th century. This is both an important move towards true democracy and a strategic move in terms of the future of the relationship between Tibet and China.

To explain and understand what this move means for Tibet there is some background to go over. The Chinese government recently passed a law that reportedly states that no Buddhist lama may be reincarnated without their permission. This is a misunderstanding of the law; what it actually states is that no lama may be