Dalai Lama lays out succession plan, pledging reincarnation as China eyes interference

Tibetan spiritual leader declares his succession will continue through traditional Buddhist processes, rejecting China's claims of authority over selecting the next Dalai Lama.

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According to an English translation of his speech published on his website, the spiritual leader said the responsibility of choosing the next Dalai Lama "will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust." 

A non-profit he founded in 2015 that oversees matters related to the spiritual leader and the institute of the Dalai Lama, the trust "should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas," the elderly leader said. "They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition."