Dalai Lama Pushes Back Against China On Reincarnation, Affirms Gaden Phodrang Trust’s Authority

Last Updated:July 02, 2025, 10:24 IST

Over 14 years, the Dalai Lama got appeals from Tibetans, diaspora, and Buddhists in China, Mongolia & Russia, urging him to continue the Dalai Lama institution.

The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor at the age of two. (PTI file photo)

In a move that directly challenges China’s persistent attempts to control the succession of the Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama has made it unequivocally clear that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness, holds the sole authority to recognise his future reincarnation.

In a statement that signals a firm assertion of Tibetan religious autonomy, the Dalai Lama recalled that as far back as 1969, he had declared that the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution should be a decision for the Tibetan people and the followers of Tibetan Buddhism. He reaffirmed a resolution made in 2011, where it was formally stated that the responsibility of identifying the next Dalai Lama rests entirely with the Gaden Phodrang Trust, in consultation with the heads of Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the lineage’s spiritual protectors.

“I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," the Dalai Lama said, clearly drawing the battle lines against Beijing’s ambitions to appoint a China-backed successor.

Over the past 14 years, the Dalai Lama revealed, he has received widespread appeals from Tibetans inside Tibet, the Tibetan diaspora, and Buddhists across Asia, including from within mainland China, Mongolia, and Russia, urging him to ensure the continuation of the institution. Acting upon these requests, the Dalai Lama has now formally affirmed that his lineage will continue, but strictly under the religious and traditional framework set by the Tibetan spiritual community, not by any political entity.

This statement sets the stage for a likely showdown with the Chinese government, which has repeatedly signalled its intention to control the reincarnation process as part of its broader strategy to tighten control over Tibet.

Abhro Banerjee

Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ...Read More

Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ...

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