Dalai Lama confirms succession, says institution will continue after death
What's the story
The Dalai Lama has confirmed that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after his death. The announcement comes just before his 90th birthday on July 6. In a video message at a meeting of religious leaders in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, where he has lived for decades in exile from Tibet, he said, "In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue."
Public appeal
Tibetan leader's video message
The Dalai Lama said he has received multiple appeals over the past 14 years from the Tibetan diaspora, Buddhists in the Himalayan region, Mongolia, and parts of Russia and China. "In particular, I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal," he said. He added that these requests have led him to affirm that the institution will continue.
Official statement
Official translation of his statement
In a statement, he said, "The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement, which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust." In his September 2011 statement, he had said that when he is about 90, he will consult the high lamas, the Tibetan public, and other concerned people to re-evaluate whether or not the institution should continue.
Succession process
Responsibility of recognizing my successor will rest with Gaden Phodrang
Now that the Dalai Lama has confirmed his succession, members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors and carry out the "procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition." Shutting out China, which claims its leaders have the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor, he said, "No one else has...authority to interfere in this matter."
Backstory
Dalai Lama escaped across border to India in 1959
Following a failed revolt against Chinese control in Tibet, the Dalai Lama escaped across the border to India in 1959. He established a government-in-exile in Dharamshala, which has been viewed as an alternative source of power by individuals who oppose Beijing's tight rule over Tibet. Beijing sees the Dalai Lama as a separatist, even though he has long pushed for a "middle way" to settle the issue of Tibet's status: real self-rule within China.