Dharamshala: The Dalai Lama announced that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after his death and firmly asserted that only his non-profit trust will have the authority to identify his reincarnation.
The statement marks an explicit rejection of China’s long-standing claim to control the process. The 14th Dalai Lama, who turns 90 on Sunday, made the statement in a video message during week-long celebrations in Dharamshala, India, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
The message was delivered before an audience of over 100 monks, journalists from around the world, and long-time supporters, including actor Richard Gere.
“I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” he said, adding that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, which he founded, would oversee the search and recognition of his successor in consultation with heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. “No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” he declared.
Statement Affirming the Continuation of the Institution of Dalai Lama
(Translated from the original Tibetan)
On 24 September 2011, at a meeting of the heads of Tibetan spiritual traditions, I made a statement to fellow Tibetans in and outside Tibet, followers of Tibetan… pic.twitter.com/VqtBUH9yDm
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) July 2, 2025
His remarks end years of speculation about whether the Dalai Lama would choose to end the centuries-old line of succession. Tibetan Buddhist tradition holds that the Dalai Lama is reincarnated after death in the form of a child.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule and has lived in exile in India ever since. Beijing regards him as a separatist and insists that the next Dalai Lama must be approved by Chinese authorities through a centuries-old ritual involving a “golden urn“-a process dating back to the Qing dynasty in 1793.
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reiterated that the reincarnation must happen within China and follow national laws.
Samdhong Rinpoche, a senior figure in the Gaden Phodrang Trust, confirmed that the Dalai Lama is in good health and has not yet issued written instructions regarding his successor. He noted that the next Dalai Lama could be of any gender or nationality.
Meanwhile, Penpa Tsering, head of the Central Tibetan Administration, said the Dalai Lama may consider visiting Tibet if allowed by China and health permits.
He also revealed that the United States had eased restrictions on funding for the Tibetan exile community and reaffirmed Washington’s support for Tibetan religious freedom.
The Dalai Lama remains one of the world’s most revered spiritual figures and a global symbol of peace, having received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
