July 2, 2025: In a keenly anticipated statement ahead of his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama reaffirmed the continuation of the centuries-old institution of the Dalai Lama—an announcement carrying deep historical resonance and urgent political significance. The English translation of the original statement in Tibetan, dated May 21, 2025, was released on July 2 by his official office, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, along with a video of the Dalai Lama reading the Tibetan text. The announcement drew widespread international attention, and is seen as a clear assertion of Tibetan agency and a direct response to China’s ongoing attempts to control the succession process. The release sparked renewed global media coverage and intensified discussions on the future of Tibetan leadership in exile.
The statement says “The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness 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.”
The Dalai Lama also stated 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.”
The Gaden Phodrang Trust is based in Dharamsala, India.
