Jeff wrote:
> A student came by this morning and asked me about the Dalai Lama. As I
> understand it, each new Dalai Lama is believed to be the reincarnation
> of the previous one. She told me that one proof of this is that objects
> belonging to the old Dalai Lama are placed before the candidate. Since
> he IS the same person, he should be able to pick those particular
> objects from among a group of others that did not belong to him in his
> former life. The fact that he is successful at this, the believers
> argue, shows that the child is the reincarnated Dalai Lama.
>
> Does anyone know about this ritual? And, being a skeptic, what evidence
> might exist that other factors are at work here (my student suggested
> the Clever-Hans effect)?
The traditional method of identifying the Dalai Lama is a bit more
complex than that. To understand it, it's necessary to understand the
principle of reincarnation as practiced by Tibetan Buddhism.
Reincarnation is not the "one life at a time" sequential "progression"
that Westerners perceive it to be. Rather, the Tibetan concept is that at
the moment of death, the essence of the person is released as a series of
"eminations" which influence the formation of the personality of a newly
incarnating individual (or individuals, there is no absolute necessity for
the reincarnation to take place in a single body, although tradition
expects the Dalai Lama to do so). To put it in Western terms, imagine the
unique brainwave pattern of a given individual "impressing" itself on the
still-forming neural pathways in a fetal brain and developing connections
that will "mimic" the original individual's personality. The analogy isn't
exact, but it's close enough to provide some basic understanding of the
concept.
Once reincarnation takes place, parallel development also does so and
(here we move a bit away from the Western analogy) certain memories of the
"previous life" (bearing in mind that the Tibetan concept of the flow of
time is _not_ directly equivalent to the Western one) surface.
My necessity, my description is very superficial. Much more sophisticated
discussion (from a Western perspective) can be found in works by Ian
Stevenson, Ph.D. at the University of Virginia, particularly his
multivolume research work entitled "Seven Cases Suggestive of
Reincarnation."
When a Dalai Lama dies, a search is conducted for his successor (note: He
often specifically identifies the precise incarnation that he will make,
i.e., he will name the village, family, child, and date the child will be
born). The search begins with a visit to the state oracle (not as
primitive as it sounds to the Western mind) who is expected to provide
some clues as to the location of the next incarnation. A group of Lamas
(all of whom are themselves recognized incarnations) engage in ritual
meditation exercises which lead to further indicators as to where the
Dalai Lama will incarnate and these results, combined with a list of all
incarnations which have been reported to have taken place under
"miraculous" conditions during the very narrow period of time that is
alloted for incarnation to take place provide a starting place for the
search (which often takes years). Finally, a group of lamas consisting of
both those known to the previous Dalai Lama and those who have never been
in his presence visit all the locations of his predicted rebirth and
interview the children (some are also brought to the lamas in their
monastaries by the parents).
In order to be recognized as the new Dalai Lama, a child must be located
who:
1. Has _all_ the physical characteristics which indicate he is the Dalai
Lama.
2. Was born at the right time and place and under "miraculous" conditions
according to Tibetian theology.
3. Demonstrates knowledge impossible for him to have obtained from any
source available to him including his family.
4. Instantly recognizes those lamas who were familiar to the former Dalai
Lama and calls them by names known to the Dalai Lama but not necessarily
to others (pet names are common for the Dalai Lama's teachers).
5. Correctly identifies _all_ of the objects which previously belonged to
the Dalai Lama from a group of objects set out before him. There are _two_
of every object--all identical in appearance and touch--one of which was
owned by the former Dalai Lama. These objects include a cup, a dorje, a
rosary, a prayer mat, a bowl, and other similar simple objects. Lamas who
can identify the correct objects are _not_ permitted to be within sight of
the child and no speech or gesture at all is permitted during the activity
by anyone present. Essentially, the lamas sit motionless in a meditational
posture while the child makes the selections. The child may not make a
single error.
There are other spiritual and religious aspects to the process, but these
are the more readily understood basics. As you can tell, it isn't quite
the "simple" selection process your student has expressed it to be.
Comparing the Western concept of the selection of the Dalai Lama to the
actual process is rather like comparing the actual philosophical
principles of Christian communion and salvation to the idea that
Christianity can be summed up with the statement: "Christians believe if
you are good you go to heaven and if you are bad you go to hell."
Obviously, other influences may be at work--just as superstition and fear
of the unknown can be held to be the sole reason for the existance of
Christianity. But since there is really no way for psychology to "prove"
that a set of religious values are false, it's much simpler for us to
assume they have the same validity and objective reality as do those of
any other religious doctraine.
Hope this helps,
Rick
