Tibet – The Dalai Lama has confirmed that the centuries-old institution bearing his title will continue after his death, ending years of uncertainty. Speaking through a video broadcast during his 90th birthday celebrations, the Tibetan spiritual leader stated clearly that his reincarnation will be recognized by his own religious office not by China.
“The Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition,” he said on July 2 in Dharamshala. “No one else has any authority to interfere in this matter.”
This declaration arrives amid Beijing’s longstanding claim that only the Chinese government can approve any future Dalai Lama. A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry responded the same day, insisting that the reincarnation must comply with “religious rituals and historical conventions” and follow Chinese laws.
More than 7,000 guests gathered in Dharamshala to mark the Dalai Lama’s milestone birthday, including Tibetan monks, Indian government officials, and international supporters. Among them was actor Richard Gere, a long-time follower. The event was held near the Dalai Lama Temple Complex, where his video message was played.
Tsayang Gyatso, a Tibetan businessman who traveled from Delhi, told the media he felt “relieved and elated” to hear the announcement. “There has been a lot of propaganda from China about who will appoint the next Dalai Lama. His Holiness has cleared the air,” Gyatso said.
The Dalai Lama had previously considered whether the institution should continue, even suggesting at one point that his successor could be female or that there might be no successor at all. In recent years, however, he signaled a commitment to continuing the line, provided that Tibetans in exile support it. That consensus, he said, has now been reached.
The question of succession is not only spiritual it’s deeply political. Since fleeing Tibet in 1959 after China crushed an uprising, the Dalai Lama has become a symbol of Tibetan identity, resistance, and nonviolent advocacy for greater autonomy under Chinese rule.
He has consistently pushed a “middle way” approach seeking self-governance for Tibet within China rather than outright independence. Beijing, however, considers him a separatist and has dismissed his authority, arguing that Tibet has prospered under Chinese administration.
Observers say the Dalai Lama’s recent comments signal a deliberate message to Beijing. “He is asserting his legitimacy comes from the Tibetan people, not from state approval,” one scholar noted. “That distinction draws a line Beijing cannot easily cross.”
The Chinese government is expected to identify its own candidate for the next Dalai Lama, possibly in coming years. This echoes the controversial episode in 1995 when China rejected the Dalai Lama’s recognition of the 11th Panchen Lama and installed its own selection instead. The boy originally identified by the Dalai Lama vanished shortly afterward and remains missing.
Youdon Aukatsang, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, dismissed China’s future plans to name a Dalai Lama. “Such a choice will never be recognized by Tibetans or by the global Buddhist community. China lacks the legitimacy,” she said.
Born on July 6, 1935, in a remote village outside modern-day Tibet, the current Dalai Lama was identified at age two as the 14th reincarnation. He was enthroned before his fourth birthday and later became both spiritual and political leader of Tibet. After the 1950 Chinese invasion and the 1959 uprising, he fled across the Himalayas into India, where he has lived in exile ever since.
In 2011, he relinquished political leadership to a democratically elected government-in-exile. However, his role as a spiritual guide remains central for many Tibetans worldwide.
The question now shifts to who the next Dalai Lama will be and where he will be born. The current Dalai Lama has insisted the child will be born outside China, in what he called “the free world.” But the selection process remains closely guarded, as does the timeline.
As celebrations continue in Dharamshala through July 6, the message from the Dalai Lama is clear: the institution lives on and it will do so on Tibetan terms.
