Updated: Sun. Oct. 4 2009 10:39 AM ET
By Stefania Moretti, CTV.ca News
The world may never know another Dalai Lama.
In a recent interview with Free the Children co-founder Craig Kielburger to air on CTV, the Dalia Lama himself said he wasn't too concerned about whether there would ever be a successor.
"If the circumstance is such that the Dalai Lama institution is no longer relevant, then this institution will cease. No problem," he said.
Even the man appointed as His Holiness' voice in the U.K. agreed the ancient role may all but dissolve.
"It's a big debate and unfortunately most Tibetans are not ready to discuss the sensitive issue," says Thubten Samdup, the Dalai Lama's representative in London for the next four years. "They want the Dalai Lama to live forever. So it's very tricky."
Samdup spoke to CTV.ca earlier this summer, as he was helping to prepare for the Dalai Lama's recent visit to Canada.
The grinning, bespectacled Dalai Lama has become synonymous in the West with teachings of non-violence. But the 14th Dalai Lama's main purpose is to serve as spiritual leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
The Dalai Lama was born on July 6, 1935, in Taktser, northeastern Tibet. The 74-year-old is believed to be the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama.
In his early 20s, the Dalai Lama was driven out of his homeland by Chinese authorities. About 80,000 Tibetans are said to have followed him over the Himalayas and into India.
Now, some fear the Dalai Lama's death, especially if in exile, could spark violent riots that have recently been associated with the Tibetan freedom movement. His Holiness has been in hospital three times in the past year; a sign the spiritual leader's health is in decline, Samdup said.
Traditionally, the search for the reincarnated holy child takes years after a Dalai Lama's passing. But considering the Tibetan peoples' current hardships, a prolonged search for the 15th Dalai Lama could create a leadership vacuum for the Tibetan people in their struggle for autonomy.
"The Dalai Lama has been preparing for a successor for a very long time," Samdup said.
His Holiness has entertained the notion of breaking tradition and appointing the 15th Dalai Lama, or at least an interim leader, he added.
"His Holiness has even questioned whether there should be another Dalai Lama at all."
For almost 400 years, the Dalai Lama's role has fulfilled an ancient purpose for the Tibetan people, but now times have changed. Samdup believes this time, the Tibetan people will be content with a democratically elected leader.
"We have to evolve with the times."
Victor Chan, who co-founded Vancouver's Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education back in 2005 with the Dalai Lama, hopes the centre will keep the man's secular wisdom alive.
And when it comes to finding the next Dalai Lama: "Whomever (Tibetan Buddhists) choose, we will certainly embrace," Chan said.
But electing the next Dalai Lama is going to be more than a little problematic, admits Samdup.
He knows from experience. Samdup is currently heading up the international search for prime ministerial candidates for the democratic Tibetan government-in-exile.
The incumbent Tibetan Prime Minister is in his second term and cannot run again.
But since the Tibetan government has no party system, the leadership has to actively seek out new candidates, otherwise the same old players keep running, Samdup explained.
The Dalai Lama has given the gift of democracy to the people of Tibet, Samdup said.
"But we are not really practicing democracy in a way that His Holiness wants us to practice. Because right now all we are doing is waiting for a figurehead to tell us what to do."
Samdup helped launch a website on which prime ministerial nominations from around the world can be considered for inclusion on the next Tibetan ballot.
"Maybe there's someone in Toronto, or Sydney, Australia, for the job," Samdup said. "We are so spread out, let's find the best person possible."
There are an estimated 120,000 people of the Tibetan diaspora. A third of them live in India, others mostly settling in the U.S. and Canada.
Samdup's initiative gets a lot of support from Tibetans in Canada and people here are participating in the search for the next Prime Minister.
"Canadian-Tibetans are a lot more proactive than the Tibetans in India, for example. They've seen the democracy here and how it works," Samdup said.
The next Tibetan government-in-exile election will run in February and March 2011.
"It's all in preparation for the eventuality when that day comes, that unfortunate day, when the Dalai Lama dies. The day Tibetans don't want to face, but they will. We should at least be ready," Samdup said.
"We Day: The Dalai Lama in Conversation with Craig Kielburger" will air Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. ET on CTV. (Check local listings)
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