The Dalai Lama has said his charitable foundation will be the only authority to recognise his future reincarnation, ending years of speculation that began when he indicated that he might be the last person to hold the role.
"I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue," the 14th Dalai Lama said in a statement.
It is a landmark decision for Tibetans, many of whom feared a future without a leader, as well as for global supporters who see the Dalai Lama as a symbol of non-violence, compassion and the enduring struggle for Tibetan cultural identity under Chinese rule.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner said the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the non-profit that he set up to maintain and support the 600-year-old tradition and institution of the Dalai Lama, will have the sole authority to recognise his future reincarnation in consultation with the heads of Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
"They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition … no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," he said.
The remarks by the leader came during a week of celebrations to mark his 90th birthday on Sunday.
His announcement countered China's insistence that it would choose the successor of the Tibetan spiritual leader.
A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Dalai Lama's succession through his reincarnation must be approved by China's central government.
The Dalai Lama's succession must comply with Chinese laws and regulations as well as religious rituals and historical conventions, said Mao Ning at a regular news conference.
Years of global appeals
The Dalai Lama said he had received multiple appeals over the past 14 years from Tibetan diaspora in exile, Buddhists from across the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia and China, "earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue".
"In particular, I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal," he said in a video broadcast at the start of a meeting of religious leaders in Dharamshala, the Indian Himalayan town where he has lived for decades.
"In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue," he added, according to an official translation.
Beijing viewed the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, as a separatist.
The Dalai Lama has previously said his successor will be born outside China and urged his followers to reject anyone chosen by Beijing.
ABC/wires
