- In the mid-1970s, Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, told a Polish newspaper that he thought he would be the last Dalai Lama. In a later interview published in the English language press he stated, "The Dalai Lama office was an institution created to benefit others. It is possible that it will soon have outlived its usefulness."[40] These statements caused a furor amongst Tibetans in India. Many could not believe that such an option could even be considered. It was further felt that it was not the Dalai Lama's decision to reincarnate. Rather, they felt that since the Dalai Lama is a national institution it was up to the people of Tibet to decide whether the Dalai Lama should reincarnate.
When the person cries out in pain, it undermines that message. It no longer holds a spiritual meaning; the protest is then political rather than religious in nature. Regardless of whether or not you think it'd right, humans tend to sympathize and admire great acts of self-sacrifice. The priest who starves himself during a famine is more of a hero than the one who demands stiff grain tribute, and even if the grain ultimately feeds vastly more people. Not making judgements, just talking about the public spin self immolation has
Historically, Tibet under the various Dalai Lamas was nothing more than a serfdom where over 95% of the serfs had to give most of their yields to their "holy" leaders who lived lives of luxury while everyone else practically starved. It was such a "holy" and "ideal" government, even Nazi Germany saw many similarities between them and sought to learn lessons from them. Here is what it was like.