DHARAMSHALA (HP)/ BEIJING, July 2:
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 no one else can “interfere” in his succession plan.
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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 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 May 21, 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 week-long celebrations to mark the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday commenced at Tsuglagkhang, the main temple at McLeodganj near Dharamshala, on June 30. 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 September 24, 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.
At the briefing in Beijing, spokeswoman Mao said the current 14th Dalai Lama himself was recognised after his predecessor’s death following traditional rituals, but his recognition was granted directly by the then Central Government, exempting him from the Golden Urn process, Mao said. (PTI)
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