COVID-19 Relief Bill Features Unrelated Section Pertaining to Dalai Lama’s Reincarnation

The new COVID-19 relief bill features several sections that have sparked debate, but one portion of the legislation seems to have unrelated language about the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. According to Newsweek, Section 342 of the bill outlines a “statement of policy regarding the succession or reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.” The outlet notes that this section of the bill is focused on China’s interference with the process of succession and specifically refers to a 6-year-old boy who was detained in 1995 after being identified as the next Dalai Lama.

The current Dalai Lama — the 14th overall — is Tenzin Gyatso, and he currently lives in India. Tibet was occupied by China in 1951 and made part of the East Asian nation against the will of its people. The Dalai Lama is in exile from Tibet after escaping in 1959 during a revolt against the Chinese government. “Tibetan Buddhism is practiced in many countries including Bhutan, India, Mongolia, Nepal, the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the United States,” the bill explains, “yet the Government of the People’s Republic of China has repeatedly insisted on its role in managing the selection of Tibet’s next spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, through actions such as those described in the ‘Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas’ in 2007.”

“Interference by the Government of the People’s Republic of China or any other government in the process of recognizing a successor or reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama and any future Dalai Lamas would represent a clear abuse of the right to religious freedom of Tibetan Buddhists and the Tibetan people,” the legislation also reads. It goes on to state that the U.S. retains the right to place sanctions against any Chinese officials who impede the process of succession. “The Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom should support efforts to protect and promote international religious freedom in China and for programs to protect Tibetan Buddhism in China and elsewhere,” it states.

Newsweek noted that it has reached out to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for comment on this section of the bill but has not received a response. The outlet also states that it issued a request for comment from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Her office, too, had not responded at the time of this writing.