New Delhi: A Mongolian boy, born in the United States, has been named as the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche, the third highest rank in Tibetan Buddhism, by the Dalai Lama, says a report.
According to Times, the Dalai Lama was pictured with the eight-year-old boy taking part in a ceremony held on March 8 in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala, where the Buddhist leader lives in exile.
The eight-year-old US-born child reportedly has a twin brother and is the son of a university professor and the grandson of a former Mongolian member of parliament.
The move to anoint the eight-year-old as the third highest lama in Tibetan Buddhism is likely to irk China, which has been adamant that it will only recognise Buddhist leaders chosen by its own government. According to the report, news of the ceremony was met with both excitement and apprehension as the threat of China's displeasure over the move lingers.
In 1995, when the Dalai Lama named the 11th Panchem Lama, Chinese authorities swiftly kidnapped him and his family, and he was never seen or heard of again. China then replaced the Panchem Lama, the second most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, with its own candidate.