In addition to outlining a succession process that foreshadows a new conflict with China, the aged Dalai Lama promised followers on Wednesday that he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism after his death.
The much-anticipated announcement, which was made only days before the fragile Nobel peace laureate turns 90, ended a centuries-old line of speculation that the Dalai Lama himself may be the final spiritual leader of Tibet.
In response to China’s demand that it select his successor, the Dalai Lama stated that a non-profit organization he established will have exclusive jurisdiction to determine his reincarnation during a week of festivities in the hill town of Dharamshala, northern India, to commemorate his birthday.
