Dalai Lama says Trust will decide his reincarnation, rules out China's role

Ahead of his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama has once again publicly reaffirmed that the authority to recognise his reincarnation rests solely with the Gaden Phodrang Trust established by him, not with any external political power, including China.

In a statement released on Tuesday, May 25, the Buddhist leader said the institution of the Dalai Lama would continue, following widespread appeals from Tibetan communities and Buddhist practitioners across Asia.

“I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” he said. “I have received messages from Tibetans in Tibet and abroad, as well as from followers of Tibetan Buddhism across the Himalayan region, Mongolia, the Russian Federation, and even mainland China.”

The 14th Dalai Lama, born Lhamo Dhondup in 1935, was identified at the age of two through a traditional process involving visions, omens, and ritual testing. That same process, considered deeply embedded in the Buddhist belief, has been challenged by China, which claims it holds final authority over all reincarnations of Tibetan religious figures.

In today's statement, the Dalai Lama referenced a 2011 meeting, where he had already outlined the succession process. In that statement, he said the responsibility for identifying a future Dalai Lama would rest exclusively with the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the official body associated with his office, and would involve consultation with senior lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and other established spiritual mechanisms.

He reiterated, “The Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”