A frailer Dalai Lama greets devotees while succession question remains
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. DHARAMSALA, India—The Dalai Lama arrived on a golf cart and smiled and waved to the throngs of devotees who had gathered amid the pine trees of the Himalayan foothills to greet him at his home in exile after knee-replacement surgery in the U.S. The 89-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader climbed out and made his way on foot into the temple complex with the help of young monks supporting his weight.
One devotee, Dolma Jangchup, said she was relieved that he appeared stronger than at an appearance the previous week, when he was in the throes of a cold. “I had never seen him so weak," said Jangchup, 62. “He is our only guru in this world and it was so painful to see him like that." Behind concerns about the Dalai Lama’s health is a looming succession battle between Tibetans in exile and Beijing, which controls Tibet and accuses the Dalai Lama of being a separatist who seeks his homeland’s independence from China.
To much of the world, the Nobel Peace laureate is a spiritual guide and a forceful advocate for the religious freedom and human rights of Tibetans in China. Upon the death of the Dalai Lama, the institution could transfer from one of the most widely recognized figures on the planet to an unknown child—or perhaps unknown children, as China and exiled Tibetans are likely to each recognize their own candidate. “From the Chinese perspective, it doesn’t matter whether the Dalai Lama chooses his successor or not," said B.R.
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