Dalai Lama excludes Chinese role in his reincarnation: 'Nobody has authority to interfere'

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said Wednesday that the 600-year-old institution will continue after his death, a decision that will have profound impact on his Buddhist followers.

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said that the 600-year-old institution will continue after his death, a decision that will have profound impact on his Buddhist followers.

"I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue", he said in a video broadcast at the start of a meeting of religious leaders in the Indian Himalayan town where he has lived for decades.

According to Tibetans, he is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, and his statement was released ahead of his 90th birthday on July 6.

Dalai Lama's big message on his successor ahead of 90th birthday

Dalai Lama said he had received multiple appeals over the past 14 years from Tibetan diaspora in exile, Buddhists from across the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia and China, "earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue".

"In particular, I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal," he said in a video broadcast at the start of a meeting of religious leaders in the Indian Himalayan town where he has lived for decades.

"In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue," he added, according to an official translation.

He and thousands of other Tibetans have lived in exile in India since Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959.

His advanced age has also sparked concern over the future of Tibetan leadership and the delicate question of his succession.

While China condemns him as a rebel and separatist, the internationally recognised Dalai Lama describes himself as a "simple Buddhist monk".

Many exiled Tibetans fear China will name a successor to bolster control over a territory it poured troops into in 1950.

But the Dalai Lama said Wednesday that responsibility for identifying the 15th Dalai Lama "will rest exclusively" with the India-based Gaden Phodrang Trust, the office of the Dalai Lama.

"I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," he added.

Dalai Lama's 90th birthday

Dalai Lama's birthday falls on July 6 as per the Gregorian calendar; festivities began on June 30 in accordance with the Tibetan calendar. The event has been attracting spiritual leaders, dignitaries, and well-wishers who have been arriving from different parts of the world.

On June 30 celebration at Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple in Dharamshala, the Dalai Lama made a brief public appearance and reaffirmed his dedication to peace, compassion, and service to the Tibetan people and the broader global community. The celebrations have drawn numerous interfaith leaders, underlining the Dalai Lama's influence beyond Buddhism.

From July 2 to 4, Dharamshala will host a three-day international Buddhist conference, bringing together senior monks and scholars from various global traditions.The event will culminate in a major address by the Dalai Lama, during which he is expected to speak on the future of the Tibetan reincarnation tradition, a topic of considerable interest within the global Tibetan and Buddhist communities.