The Dalai Lama signals China should stay out of divine succession process

The Dalai Lama said on Wednesday that the ancient Tibetan Buddhist institution he leads will live on after he dies, putting an end to speculation that he would be the last person to hold the role as he plans to reincarnate.

The Dalai Lama said on Wednesday that the ancient Tibetan Buddhist institution he leads will live on after he dies, putting an end to speculation that he would be the last person to hold the role as he plans to reincarnate.

As part of celebrations marking his 90th birthday, the Nobel Peace laureate also signalled that China, which Tibetan activists accuse of suppressing their language, culture and religion, should stay out of the process of choosing the next Dalai Lama.

The 14th Dalai Lama's rare remarks came as anxiety mounts over who will follow him as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

“I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” said the Dalai Lama, who has spent almost 70 years living in exile in India after fleeing Tibet, an autonomous Himalayan region of China.

“I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation,” he said, referring to an organization he founded. “No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”