A: Hey buddy! Did you catch the news about the Dalai Lama?
B: Noo, what's up?

A: Well, turns out the next Dalai Lama is gonna be picked following Tibetan tradition. He said no one else will interfere, not even Beijing.
B: Wow, that's a big move! So who'll do the choosing then?

A: The Gaden Phodrang Trust will choose the future reincarnation, they said. They find the kid and he becomes the successor according to Tibetan beliefs.
B: That's so interesting! I didn't know that about Tibetans. How's the old guy doing?

A: He's good as gold actually! He turns 90 on Sunday, can you believe it? Remember, he ran away to India in '59 after China cracked down on Tibet.

B: Right! I heard they think of him as a separatist. What did Beijing say about his statement?

A: Well, their spokesperson said the next Dalai Lama must follow the principle of searching for reincarnation within China and getting approval from the central government. But we'll see how that goes!
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The exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, said on Wednesday that his successor will be chosen based on Tibetan tradition, without any interference from others. The move goes against Beijing's insistence that it will make the selection.



The video statement came during a meeting of Buddhist monks in the northern Indian city of Dharamshala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile.



The 14th Dalai Lama said that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, or the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, will have the sole authority to recognize his future reincarnation.



Tibetan Buddhists believe that when a high ranking monk dies, the reincarnated child will be found and become the successor.



An official of the Trust said the Nobel Peace Prize laureate is in good health. He turns 90 on Sunday. He fled to India in 1959 after China's suppression of an uprising in Tibet.



Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a separatist. China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning responded to his statement, saying the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama must adhere to the principle of a domestic search and approval by the central government.