Dalai Lama Seeks Continued Leadership, Rejects China's Succession Role

The Dalai Lama, who turns 90 in July 2025, has expressed his hope to continue his spiritual mission for several more decades while ruling out any role for China in choosing his successor, emphasizing that only a nonprofit organization he established in India would identify his reincarnation. This stance highlights the ongoing schism between Beijing and the Dalai Lama, as China supports its own Panchen Lama appointed in 1995 after the Dalai Lama's chosen candidate disappeared, intensifying tensions over Tibetan Buddhism's leadership and autonomy. Despite strained China-Dalai Lama relations marked by accusations of separatism and crackdowns on Tibetan culture, international support for the Dalai Lama remains strong, with countries like the United States backing Tibetan rights and the Dalai Lama's global peace advocacy. However, some critics argue that the Dalai Lama's position has been co-opted by Western powers, particularly the U.S., which allegedly uses Tibet as a geopolitical tool against China, a claim underscored by the elaborate global events planned around his 90th birthday coinciding with major geopolitical summits. Within India, the Dalai Lama's presence continues to influence regional politics and cultural ties, including government initiatives like the establishment of cooperative universities and diplomatic engagements during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Argentina. The Tibetan exile community faces a crossroads with demographic challenges and uncertainties about the future leadership of Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama's passing, fueling calls for deeper discussions on the movement's legacy and direction.