Dalai Lama Reveals Big Hint On Succession Plan Ahead of 90th Birthday. Read Full Statement

New Delhi: The 14th Dalai Lama on Tuesday, 2025 announced from his office that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue, following years of requests from Tibetans and Buddhist communities worldwide urging him to preserve the spiritual tradition. 

At a meeting with the heads of Tibetan spiritual traditions on September 24, 2011, the Dalai Lama addressed the question that has long weighed on Tibetan Buddhists worldwide: whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue. At the gathering, he said, “As far back as 1969, I made clear that concerned people should decide whether the Dalai Lama’s reincarnations should continue in the future.”

He further noted, “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.”

Calls from the Tibetan community

In the 14 years since that meeting, the Dalai Lama had not held public discussions on the issue. However, he shared that he has received numerous appeals urging him to ensure the continuation of the institution. These appeals came from leaders of Tibet’s spiritual traditions, members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, and Buddhists from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buddhist republics of the Russian Federation, and Buddhists in Asia, including mainland China.

“In particular, I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal. In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” the Dalai Lama stated.

Gaden Phodrang Trust to handle succession

The Dalai Lama clarified that the process for identifying his successor has already been clearly outlined in the September 24, 2011 statement. According to this, the responsibility for recognizing the future Dalai Lama will rest solely with the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of the Dalai Lama.

“They 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. They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.”

Reiterating his stand against any external interference, the Dalai Lama asserted, “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.”

Why this matters

The affirmation comes at a time of global curiosity and geopolitical tension around the question of the Dalai Lama’s succession, particularly amid concerns about external interference in the reincarnation process. By clarifying that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust will have the authority to recognize the future Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader has signalled a clear and community-driven path for the continuation of this centuries-old institution.