DHARAMSHALA/BEI-JING, 2 Jul: Ahead of his 90th birthday, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Wednesday affirmed that the sacred institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and only the Gaden Phodrang Trust will have the authority to recognise his future “reincarnation,” declaring that no one else can “interfere” in his succession plan.
The statement by the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso that ended speculation on whether he will have a successor or not after his death is set to escalate tensions with China. The Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit organisation, was founded by the office of the Dalai Lama in 2015.
China rejected the Nobel Peace laureate’s succession plan, insisting that any future heir must receive its seal of approval, adding a new chapter to Tibetan Buddhism’s decades-long struggle with the Chinese ruling Communist Party.
The statement made by the 14th Dalai Lama, who is also called Lhama Thondup, on 21 May, 2025, was released by his office on Wednesday, four days ahead of his birthday on Sunday. A 5.57-minute video of his speech in Tibetan was also released.
“I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has the sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation. No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” the statement said.
Earlier, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism had maintained that Tibet’s most sacred tradition could be wound up, or his successor could be a woman or someone born outside China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, the second-high priest of Tibetan Buddhism, has to go through the centuries-old tradition of the ‘golden urn’ law procedure started by the 18th century Qing dynasty.
“The Dalai Lama’s reincarnation must follow the principles of domestic recognition, the ‘golden urn’ process, and approval by the central government, in line with religious traditions and laws,” she told a media briefing in Beijing while responding to the Dalai Lama’s announcement.
The weeklong celebrations to mark the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday commenced at Tsuglagkhang, the main temple in McLeodganj near Dharamshala, on 30 June. The occasion is significant, as the Dalai Lama had said in 2011 that at the age of 90, he would decide whether the institution would continue or not.
During a meeting of the heads of Tibetan spiritual traditions on 24 September, 2011, the Dalai Lama had stated that “as far back as in 1969, I had made clear that people concerned should decide whether the Dalai Lama’s reincarnations should continue in future.”
He had stated that when he would be 90 years old, he would consult the high lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other people who follow Tibetan Buddhism to evaluate whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not.
“I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhists living in other parts of the world requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue. I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” his statement said.
He added that the responsibility to recognise the reincarnation rests with the members of Gaden Phodrang Trust, who will consult heads of various Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound dharma protectors linked to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas.
“They should carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with the tradition,” the statement added.
The Dalai Lama caught the attention of the world following his high-profile defection to India in 1959 with a large group of Tibetans after the Chinese military under the command of Communist Party founder Mao Zedong took over Tibet.
Since then, he made Dharamshala his “adopted” home, which drew the ire of Beijing, and his presence there continued to be a bone of contention between China and India, and the struggle for Tibetan autonomy may have to be continued by his successor.
His successor issue is also expected to flare up fresh tensions between Beijing and Washington as China’s policy comes in conflict with the US Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, which reaffirmed America’s steadfast support for the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama is revered by Tibetan Buddhists as a living manifestation of Chenrezig, the Buddhist god of compassion.
A commentary on the Dalai Lama’s succession carried by state-run Xinhua news agency on Tuesday ruled out official recognition without proper rituals.
Notably, ahead of the much-expected announcement by the Dalai Lama, China-appointed Panchen Lama, the second most important Buddhist monk in Tibet after the Dalai Lama, met President Xi Jinping in Beijing on 6 June and swore his loyalty to the ruling Communist Party.
Meeting the Panchen Lama, Jinping asked him to make greater contributions to promoting ethnic unity and religious harmony, as well as the stability, development and progress in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The 35-year-old Panchen Lama was appointed by China at the age of five in 1995, ousting Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was chosen as the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama. (PTI)