McLEODGANJ, July 2: The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has officially declared that the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama will continue beyond his lifetime — and reiterated that the Chinese government will have no role in identifying his reincarnation.
“The institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” said the 89-year-old spiritual leader on Wednesday, addressing the opening session of a three-day international Buddhist conference in McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh. “No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.”
The announcement puts to rest years of speculation over whether the 14th Dalai Lama would be the last. He said the decision followed appeals from across the global Buddhist community, including Tibetans in Tibet and abroad, as well as representatives of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, and Buddhist groups from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Russia and Asia — including from mainland China.
“I have not spoken publicly on this issue since September 2011,” he said, referring to his earlier statement that laid out the guidelines for choosing the next Dalai Lama. That statement, dated September 24, 2011, had already made it clear: “Responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”
According to that document — which the Dalai Lama reaffirmed Wednesday — the Gaden Phodrang Trust, in consultation with the heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and “reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors,” will carry out the traditional search and recognition process. The statement again ruled out any political interference: “No recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People’s Republic of China.”
This latest declaration gains added weight as the Dalai Lama, according to the Tibetan calendar, turned 90 on June 30. In past statements, he had said he would re-evaluate the institution’s future when he reached that age.
In 1969, he had already indicated that whether the lineage should continue would be left to the Tibetan people and other followers of Tibetan Buddhism. That principle, he said Wednesday, continues to guide his decisions.
The timing of the reaffirmation, amid rising global concerns about Chinese influence over Tibetan religious affairs, sends a clear signal. Both India and the United States have supported the Tibetan community’s right to religious self-determination and have expressed opposition to any attempt by Beijing to install a successor.
With China having occupied Tibet since 1949 and maintaining a tight grip over religious institutions, the Dalai Lama’s remarks reinforce a longstanding Tibetan position: that spiritual leadership must remain free from state control.
The international conference, attended by Buddhist scholars and monks from across the globe, provided a symbolic and strategic platform for the Dalai Lama’s declaration. It not only strengthens the resolve of the global Tibetan community but also draws a red line against any future claims by Beijing to appoint his successor.
