Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism and the Institution of the Dalai Lama

Two-Day Conference

Thursday, November 14th – Friday, November 15th, 2024
Belfer Case Study Room (S020), CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street

Reincarnation recognition began in the 13th century as a distinctive practice in Tibetan Buddhism to ensure continuity in spiritual authority across successive lives of religious masters. Over time such recognized reincarnations took on significant temporal power as well, particularly the line of the Dalai Lamas who were instrumental in the formation of the Tibetan Ganden Phodrang government in the 17th century. This conference will look at the history across the region, the esoteric practices of rebirth and divination, and the modern-day geopolitical implications of the continuation of this practice in Tibetan, Himalayan, Mongolian, and Central Asian communities -- and indeed across the Buddhist world in Asia and beyond.

Registration is not required, but appreciated for planning purposes.

Day 1: Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. 

4:00 p.m. Opening and Introductions
Michael Puett, Harvard University
Janet Gyatso, Harvard University 
Traditional Tibetan performance by Tenzin Tsedup, former artist of the India-based Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts 

5:00 p.m. Reception
Concourse, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street

Day 2: Friday, November 15, 2024 | 8:15 a.m.-5:30 p.m. 

8:15 - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
Concourse, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street

9:00 - 9:15 a.m. Welcome
Mark Wu, Harvard University 

9:15-11:15 a.m.
Panel 1: Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism and Beyond 
Moderator: Michael Szonyi, Harvard University
Panelists: 
Weirong Shen, Tsinghua University
Bodhisattvas in Saṃsāra: The Avalokiteśvara Cult and the Reincarnation of Tibetan Lamas
Tengyur Rinpoche, Thubten Shedrubling Foundation
The History of Reincarnated Lamas in Tibet
Tawni Tidwell, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Life in Suspension with Death: Biocultural Ontologies, Perceptual Cues, and Biomarkers for the Tibetan Tukdam Postmortem Meditative State
Sangseraima Ujeed, University of Michigan
The Ocean Lama: The Dalai Lamas of the Mongols
Nicole Willock, Old Dominion University
Authenticity and Authority: Methodological Pathways for Understanding the Tulku Institution 

11:15-11:30 a.m. Break 

11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Panel 2: Ganden Phodrang, Regents, and Succession
Moderator: Janet Gyatso, Harvard University
Panelists:
Martin Mills, University of Aberdeen
The Ganden Podrang: Sovereignty and Succession Under the Dalai Lamas
Cameron Warner, Aarhus University
Tibet’s Regents: A Historical Overview of the Men Tasked with Finding the Dalai Lama
Hon-Shiang Lau, City University of Hong Kong
Chinese Primary-Source Official Records on ‘Using a Golden Urn to Identify a New Dalai Lama’ Show that the Qing Empire Had No Sovereignty over Tibet

1:00-2:00 p.m. Lunch 

2:00-3:30 p.m.
Panel 3: The Present Dalai Lama and Geopolitics
Moderator: William Kirby, Harvard University
Panelists:
Jigme Yeshi, University of Calcutta
Compassion in Praxis - The Life and Legacy of the 14th Dalai Lama
Allen Carlson, Cornell University
Who's Next (And Why It Matters So): Reincarnates (Especially the Dalai Lama Lineage, Particularly the 14th, Tenzin Gyatso) and the Coming Crisis in Tibet-China Relations
Tenzin Dorjee, Columbia University
Beijing’s Reincarnation Games: Why the Chinese Communist Party Wants the Dalai Lama to be Reborn

3:30-3:45 p.m. Break 

3:45-5:15 p.m.            
Panel 4: Buddhist World in Asia and Beyond 
Moderator: Michael Puett, Harvard University
Panelists:
Lobsang Sangay, Harvard University
Co-opting the Sacred: The Intersection of Atheist Governance and Tibetan Buddhist Spiritual Authority
Josh Rogin, The Washington Post
Prospects of US Tibet Policy in the Next Administration
Dibyesh Anand, University of Westminster
Competing Notions of Sovereignty: Tibet, China, and the Politicizing of Reincarnation                                  

5:15-5:30 p.m. Closing Acknowledgement 
Rachelle Walsh, Harvard University 

Sponsored by the Harvard University Asia Center, Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard-Yenching Institute, and Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute.