Dalai Lama says his Trust will lead search for his successor
By Krishna N. Das
The Dalai Lama said on Wednesday that a non-profit that he has founded will have the sole authority to recognize his future reincarnation, countering China's insistence that it will choose the successor of the Tibetan spiritual leader.
The remarks by the leader, who turns 90 on Sunday, came during a week of celebrations to mark his birthday. There was no immediate comment from China.
Beijing views the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, as a separatist. The Dalai Lama has previously said his successor will be born outside China and urged his followers to reject anyone chosen by Beijing.
"I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue," the Dalai Lama said in a statement.
He added that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the non-profit that he set up to maintain and support the tradition and institution of the Dalai Lama, has the sole authority to recognize his future reincarnation in consultation with the heads of Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
"They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition ... no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," the Dalai Lama said.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
3 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
US expects to announce several trade deals soon: Bessent
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the Capitol building in Washington on June 27. © Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The United States is close to clinching several trade deals ahead of a July 9 deadline when higher tariffs kick in, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday, predicting several big announcements in coming days. Bessent told CNN's "State of the Union" that President Donald Trump would also send out letters to 100 smaller countries with whom the U.S. doesn't have much trade, notifying them that they would face higher tariff rates first set on April 2 and then suspended until July 9.
Nikkei Asia
6 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
South Korea prosecutors file request to detain ex-President Yoon
South Korea's former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Seoul High Prosecutor's Office to attend questioning on June 28. © Reuters SEOUL (Reuters) -- South Korean special prosecutors filed a new request on Sunday to detain former President Yoon Suk Yeol, a day after he appeared before them for questioning over his declaration of martial law last year. Yoon, who is facing a criminal trial on insurrection charges over the martial law declaration in December, was arrested in January after resisting authorities trying to take him into custody, but was released after 52 days on technical grounds.
NHK
6 hours ago
- NHK
Dalai Lama honored as he celebrates 90th birthday
The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, turned 90 on Sunday. About 7,000 people including monks and his followers gathered at a temple in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala to celebrate the occasion. The 14th Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India for nearly 70 years after China's suppression of an uprising in Tibet. The spiritual leader said in his birthday message that people can contribute to making the world a better place "by being compassionate, not just toward near and dear ones, but toward everyone." The Nobel Peace Prize laureate had said earlier this month that his successor will be chosen based on Tibetan tradition, without any interference from others. The Dalai Lama reaffirmed that the system will continue in which his reincarnated successor is identified by senior monks and others after his death. The move would go against Beijing's insistence that his successor must be approved by the Chinese government.
