Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, gave on Monday, June 30th, the strongest indication yet that the 600-year-old institution would continue after his death, at prayer celebrations for his 90th birthday.
“As far as the institution of the Dalai Lama, there will be some kind of a framework within which we can talk about its continuation,” he said.
The leader, who turns 90 on July 6th, is according to Tibetans the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
He and thousands of other Tibetans have lived in exile in India since Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Buddhist Tenzin Gyatso is expected to reveal if there will be another Dalai Lama after him.
The Dalai Lama has said the institution will continue only if there is popular demand—and is widely expected to reveal that decision on Wednesday.
The occasion carries profound weight not only for Tibetans, but also 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.
