What Is ‘Golden Urn’? The Ancient Ritual At The Heart Of Dalai Lama Succession

Last Updated:July 02, 2025, 18:52 IST

The 14th Dalai Lama announced that the institution will continue after his death, rejecting China's Golden Urn ritual for selecting his reincarnation.

The Dalai Lama is the highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

The 14th Dalai Lama ended years of global speculation by announcing that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after his death. The Tibetan spiritual leader declared in a formal statement, “In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue."

China said that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama “must be approved by the central government", adding, “The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama and other great Buddhist figures must be chosen by drawing lots from a golden urn and approved by the central government."

What Is The Golden Urn And Why Does It Matter?

The Golden Urn is a ritual object introduced in 1792 by China’s Qing dynasty, designed to formalize the selection of reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including the Dalai and Panchen Lamas. In the process, slips with the names of candidates are placed into the urn and one is drawn to determine the rightful reincarnation. Originally created to reduce corruption and consolidate imperial control over Tibetan affairs, the urn was as much a political tool as it was a religious one. It has since become the centerpiece of China’s claim to legitimacy in choosing Tibetan spiritual leaders.

What Does China Say About Dalai Lama’s Reincarnation?

Beijing said that the next Dalai Lama must be selected using the Golden Urn and approved by the Chinese central government- which reflects Beijing’s longstanding approach to religious control- insisting that reincarnation must fall under the umbrella of state management and political authority.

How Has Dalai Lama Responded To The Urn?

The Dalai Lama has unequivocally rejected it. In both his 2011 and 2025 statements, the Dalai Lama emphasized that the Golden Urn is not a genuine spiritual mechanism but an imperial relic of domination.

“The proposal [for the urn] was imposed by the Manchus," he wrote, “but Tibetans had no faith in it because it lacked any spiritual quality." He added that only one Dalai Lama, the 10th, was ever publicly linked to the urn and even then, “in reality this procedure was not followed; but in order to humour the Manchus it was merely announced that this procedure had been observed."

His 2025 statement restates that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust, his nonprofit institution based in Dharamshala, has the exclusive authority to identify his successor.

Location :

China

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