Official calls remarks by Dalai Lama 'blasphemy'

The 14th Dalai Lama's recent claim that the religious tradition of reincarnation should be abolished with his death is a blasphemy to Tibetan Buddhism, a senior Tibetan official said on Monday.

"The Dalai Lama has made several different claims about reincarnation in the past. He once said he will reincarnate outside China, and he now says the system of reincarnation should cease with his death," said Padma Choling, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Tibet autonomous region's People's Congress.

"The fact is that it is not up to him, and it is a blasphemy to Tibetan Buddhism," Padma said during a news conference on the sidelines of the annual National People's Congress.