Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama announced on Wednesday that the age -old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, indicating that his successor must be chosen without the influence of the Chinese government.
In anticipation of his 90th birthday on Sunday, the Nobel Prize winner-winner-winner of Tibetan Buddhism explained his follow-up plans in a recorded explanation that was broadcast on a religious meeting of Buddhist monks in the city of Dharamshala, India. Originally called Tenzin Gyatso, he was traditionally known as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama in 1940. He fled Tibet when Chinese troops crushed a rebellion in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959.
According to an English translation of his speech published on his website, the spiritual leader said that the responsibility to choose the next Dalai Lama “will only rest with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust.”
Een non-profit die hij in 2015 heeft opgericht die toezicht houdt op zaken die verband houden met de spirituele leider en het Instituut van de Dalai Lama, het Trust “zou de verschillende hoofden moeten raadplegen van de Tibetaanse boeddhistische tradities en de betrouwbare eed-gebonden dharma-beschermers die onafscheidelijk verbonden zijn met de lijn van de dalai-zeel,” zei de elderly leider. “They must conduct the procedures of search and recognition accordingly in accordance with tradition in the past.”
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The Dalai Lama chairs an event in honor of his upcoming 90th birthday according to a Tibetan calendar in the Tsuglakhang rank in Dharamshahala, India, on Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
He repeated that the Waden Phodrang Trust “has the authority to recognize future reincarnation; no one else has such a power to interfere in this matter.”
Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Dalai Lama can choose the body in which he is being reincarnated, as happened 14 times since the establishment of the institution in 1587. He has repeated in the past that his successor would be born outside of China. After fleeing Tibet, the current Dalai Lama helped set up a democratic Tibetan government-in-Ballingschap in Dharamshala, while he also traveled the world to argue for autonomy for the Tibetan people.
China has demanded authority about selecting the next ‘living Buddha’, as well as the leaders of other religions. In 2007 it adopted a law that says that the selection of the next Dalai Lama must take place within the Chinese territory-a movement condemned by the Tibetan government in existence as an insult to religious freedom and an attempt by the Chinese government “to suppress the innocent Tibetans under their tyrannical rule.”
When asked for the announcement of the Dalai Lama during her daily press conference on Wednesday, the Chinese spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Mao Ning: “The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must adhere to the principles of domestic search in China” and “approval by the central government.” Mao said that the process “should follow religious rituals and historical institutions and must be treated in accordance with national laws and regulations,” said the Associated Press.
Mao characterized the current Dalai Lama as a “political exile that deals with separatist activities under the guise of religion” and added that he “has absolutely no right to represent the people” of Tibet, According to Npr.
The follow -up plan of the Dalai Lama is politically consistent for most Tibetans who oppose the tight control of China about Tibet and have difficulty keeping their identity alive, in their home country or in exile. It is also in -depth for Tibetan Buddhists who worship him as a living manifestation of Chenrezig, the Buddhist God of Compassion.
Buddhist monks from different schools of Tibetan Buddhism watch a recorded video message from the Dalai Lama in Dharamshahala, India, on Wednesday 2 July 2025, prior to his birthday, according to the Gregorian calendar, on July 6. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
The China director of Amnesty International Sarah Brooks said in a statement on Wednesday that the efforts of the Chinese authorities to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama were a “direct attack” on the right to freedom of religion.
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“Tibetan Buddhists, like all religious communities, must be able to choose their spiritual leaders without coercion or interference by the authorities,” said Brooks.
The Dalai Lama has often encouraged its followers to refuse everyone who has been chosen by Beijing. He previously led the Tibetan government in exile before he renounced his political role in 2011.
Penpa Tsering, the current President of the Government in existence, said that Tibetans from all over the world “made a serious request with established dedication” that the position of the Dalai Lama should continue “for all conscious beings in general and Buddhist in particular.”
Attendant monks help the Dalai Lama to leave after chairing an event in honor of his 90th birthday in Dharamshahala, India, on Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
“In response to this overwhelming plea, his holiness has shown infinitely compassion and eventually agreed to our appeal to this special occasion of his 90th birthday,” he said during a press conference, according to the AP.
Tsering, however, warned China not to interfere with the process of succession of the Dalai Lama and said it is a “unique Tibetan Buddhist tradition.”
“We not only condemn the use of the People’s Republic of China’s use of reincarnation topic for their political gain and will never accept it,” he said.
The search for the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama only starts with the death of the established operator. In the past, the successor has been identified by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions, and it can take a few years after the next Dalai Lama has been identified as a baby, or ‘Soul -Child’ and cared for to take the reins. The current Dalai Lama suggested earlier that the tradition could end with him – or that his successor could be an adult or an “attractive” woman, NPR reported.
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The announcement of Wednesday essentially marked his decision to ‘reincarnate’, indicating that he believes that the Dalai Lama tradition should not end with him.
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
