VIA P. Vijian at Bernama.com,

DHARAMSALA, July 20 (Bernama) — Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama believes his next reincarnation will be in a “free country”, if the Tibetan crisis prolongs without a cordial solution. “If I die as a refugee and the Tibetan situation remains like this, then logically, my reincarnation will appear in a free country, because the very purpose of reincarnation is to carry on the work which began in my previous life. “And, there is some contribution, some fulfillment in work started in the previous life. Then, that is truly reincarnation,” he told Bernama in a recent interview at his exile-base in Dharamsala in northern India. He said, if obstacles were created against carrying out the tasks of the Dalai Lama’s previous life, than the “reality is not reincarnation.”

Read the complete article here. Aside from the topic of where his next rebirth might take place, the Dalai Lama also made an interesting comment about whether or not a Dalai Lama could be born female.

“Female Dalai Lama (is) possible because in Tibet tradition, among the high women, reincarnation is there, I think there is the 700-800-year-old Dorjee Phagmo institution which is for female reincarnation…so, there is no religious connotation that religious leader must be male. “If circumstances are such that female reincarnation is more effective to people, then, logically it should be female,” he said.

Thank you for subscribing to Tricycle! As a nonprofit, to keep Buddhist teachings and practices widely available.