Trust will choose 15th Dalai Lama, China rejects the succession plan

As Dharamsala gears up for the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, the institution on Wednesday (July 2) clarified it will continue to choose the 15th Dalai Lama. A message from China insisted that they would choose the successor, Dalai Lama said, ‘no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.’

"When the time comes, His Holiness will reincarnate, and any adult or a person from any gender can be recognised as his reincarnation," said Samdhong Rinpoche, a member of the Trust, at a press conference in McLeodganj. "It's not necessary that the next Dalai Lama will be from Tibet," Rinpoche said, as reported by the news outlet Times of India.

In a video statement, the 14th Dalai Lama said responsibility for choosing his successor rests exclusively with Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit foundation established in 2015.

He continued, "They (the members) should consult the various heads of Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. The members should carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.”

It's not necessary that the Dalai Lama's reincarnation would be from Tibet only, he remarked. "There are no restrictions or limitations of geographical boundaries when it comes to the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. In the past, the Dalai Lamas have taken birth in different countries," he added.

At a media briefing, Mao Ning, a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry insisted any successor to the Dalai Lama “must follow the principles of domestic recognition - the 'Golden Urn' process - and approval by the central government in line with Chinese religious traditions and laws,” as quoted by news agency PTI.