Who Will Be The Next Dalai Lama? Succession Plan Revealed, China Says Must Get Central Govt Nod

With the 14th Dalai Lama nearing 90, the world anticipates his succession plan.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama taking part in celebrations ahead of his 90th birthday.

Source : PTI

As the 14th Dalai Lama approaches his 90th birthday, global attention is once again turning to a question that has loomed for years: who will succeed the revered Tibetan spiritual leader? For over six centuries, the Dalai Lama lineage has been central to Tibetan Buddhism.

Who Will Be The Next Dalai Lama?

Now, as age and health raise uncertainties about the future, the current Dalai Lama has promised to soon unveil his long-awaited succession plan.

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. 

In a statement from Dharamshala on Wednesday, the Tibetan spiritual leader asserted that no external authority and only — Dalai Lama Office —has the right to intervene in the process of identifying the 15th reincarnation.

Earlier, according to the statement, Dalai Lama said, “When I am about ninety I will consult the high Lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other concerned people who follow Tibetan Buddhism, to re-evaluate whether or not the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue.”  

Although there have been no public discussions on this matter, over the past 14 years, leaders of Tibet’s spiritual traditions, members of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, participants in a Special General Body Meeting, officials of the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, and Buddhists from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, the Buddhist republics of the Russian Federation, and other parts of Asia—including mainland China—have submitted letters outlining their reasons and earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama be preserved. In light of these collective appeals, it has been affirmed that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue.

"I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," the statement from May 2025 said.

Dalai Lama's Successor Should Be Approved By Central Govt: China

China on Wednesday reiterated its long-standing position that any successor to the Dalai Lama must be approved by the central government.

#BREAKING China says Dalai Lama's successor must be 'approved by the central government' pic.twitter.com/fcu0djRPmZ

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 2, 2025