The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will soon be celebrating his 90th birthday. The attention however is on something else. There has been talks of the Dalai Lama potentially announcing his successor, a decision of profound spiritual and geopolitical importance, before he celebrates. During a gathering, the Dalai Lama hinted at the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution, though he offered no specifics, he promptly fueled anticipation for the impending announcement.
The title Dalai Lama combines the Mongolian word for wisdom to the Tibetan word for master to convey a spiritual leader who is essentially an ocean of wisdom. The Dalai Lama is to Tibetan Buddhism as the pope is to Catholic Christians, specifically within the Gelug school. He is revered as a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Now, the 14th Dalai Lama was chosen at the age of 4 and soon had to assume power against 1950’s China’s growing territorial expansion. Historically, he guided Tibet both spiritually and politically until he was forced into an exile to India by the Chinese government.
After a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama has since insisted that his successor will be born outside China to avoid Beijing’s interference. Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a separatist and insists on selecting his successor. Exiled Tibetans have long feared that China may appoint its own Dalai Lama to tighten control over Tibet.
In his 2025 memoir, Voice for the Voiceless, the Dalai Lama had revealed that his successor would emerge in the ‘free world’. The Gaden Phodrang Foundation, established by the Dalai Lama in 2015, will be incharge of overseeing the search and recognition process, free from political influence. The Central Tibetan Administration officials, including Sikyong Penpa Tsering, hinted at the Dalai Lama’s inclination to revealing clues about his successor’s identity during his birthday celebrations. The choosing of a new Dalai Lama could unify Tibetans but at the cost of invoking Beijing’s wrath.
