Dalai Lama Confirms He will have a Successor after His Death

Context: The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, turns 90 on July 6, 2025, a milestone marked by his announcement about the future of his reincarnation.

Succession Controversy Over the Next Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama insists that only Tibetans and their religious institutions should recognise his successor, with oversight from the Gaden Phodrang Trust.
Beijing claims authority over the reincarnation process, citing historical procedures and enforcing 2007 regulations mandating state oversight.

About Dalai Lama

Born in 1935 in Taktser, Tibet, he was identified as the 14th Dalai Lama at age two.
Fled to India in March 1959 after the Chinese invasion and established an exile government in Dharamshala by 1960.
Tibetan Buddhism uses a tulku system, where spiritual leaders reincarnate to continue their work.
The Dalai Lama embodies Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion.
At around age 90, the Dalai Lama said he’ll decide whether the institution should continue and, if so, how the 15th incarnation will be chosen.
He intends to leave written guidelines for the Gaden Phodrang Trust and other senior monastic authorities.