Dalai Lama says he will be reincarnated

The Dalai Lama's affirmation that his spiritual lineage will continue after his death has reignited tensions with China, which insists it holds the sole authority to approve reincarnations of the Tibetan Buddhist leader. By declaring that the Gaden Phodrang Trust alone will oversee the identification of the 15th Dalai Lama, he directly challenges China's long-standing claim of control over Tibetan religious succession. The Dalai Lama's move, just days ahead of his 90th birthday, reinforces Tibetan autonomy in spiritual matters and sends a clear signal to exiled communities and international supporters. It also undercuts China's attempts to manipulate religious traditions for political gain, particularly in its efforts to name a rival Dalai Lama in the future, a prospect many Tibetans fear and reject.

- REUTERS

The elderly Dalai Lama assured his followers Wednesday that upon his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and spelt out a succession process that sets up a renewed clash with China.

The eagerly awaited statement, made days before the frail Nobel peace laureate turns 90, puts to rest speculation, started by the Dalai Lama himself, that he may be the last of Tibet's spiritual leaders, ending a line that stretches back centuries.