At his 90th birthday launch, Dalai Lama hints the institution will continue

The 600-year-old institution of the Dalai Lama will continue even after his death, the self-exiled Tibetan spiritual leader strongly indicated on Monday (June 30, 2025) at prayer celebrations for his 90th birthday in Dharamsala in India’s Himachal Pradesh State.

- BY S VENKAT NARAYAN

The Dalai Lama joined thousands of Buddhist followers on Monday in the prayer celebrations, a landmark event resonating far beyond the Himalayan town where he has lived since he fled his native Tibet over 65 years ago.

Speaking in Tibetan, he said: "As far as the institution of the Dalai Lama, there will be some kind of a framework within which we can talk about its continuation."

The leader, who turns 90 on July 6, is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, according to Tibetans.

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.

Draped in traditional maroon and yellow robes, the Dalai Lama sat and listened to speeches and chants of monks, nuns, pilgrims, as well as well-wishers from across the world on Monday.