What is the complex ritual of Tibetan Buddhists to find the Dalai Lama's successor?

"The institution of the Dalai Lama will be maintained."

With this statement made in exile, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, confirmed that his successor will be elected in accordance with the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

The spiritual leader turns 90 on Sunday (06/07). He says he is in good health.

His statement put an end to rumors that the institution would be closed after his death. But electing his successor will not be an easy task.

The 15th Dalai Lama is expected to be the reincarnation of the Tibetan spiritual leader who has been exiled since 1959 in the city of Dharamsala, in northern India.

Unlike other religions, Tibetan spiritual leadership is neither inherited nor elected by vote.

The Dalai Lama is considered the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, a divine figure who returns to the world periodically to alleviate the suffering of living beings.

The succession process involves the search for a boy who, after a series of mystical signs and tests, is recognized as his spiritual continuation.

And the next succession will be marked by unprecedented geopolitical tension.

The ritual

According to his official biography, the current Dalai Lama was discovered when he was just two years old. He recognized personal items belonging to his predecessor, stating "it's mine, it's mine."

This spontaneous recognition was one of the main clues that led the monks who visited him to conclude that Lhamo Thondup - as the boy born in a remote village in northeastern Tibet was called at the time - was the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

Until reaching that point, the path was guided by mystical signs, visions and rituals, which are part of the complex process of succession.

It all begins after the death of the Dalai Lama, when the high lamas (spiritual authorities of Buddhism) enter a period of mourning and contemplation.

During this period, they observe signs that could serve as clues as to the place where their spiritual leader was reborn.

One of the best-known practices is the consultation of the sacred lake Lhamo Latso in southern Tibet. There, the acting regent or a high-ranking monk observes the surface of the water, seeking revelatory visions.

In the case of Lhamo Thondup, the then regent noticed three Tibetan letters and an image showing a monastery with a turquoise roof, a hill and a house with unusual gutters.

All this led the monks to the Kumbum monastery and later to the village of Taktser, where the boy lived.

Once the likely region is located, the monks scour towns and villages, searching for boys born shortly after the previous Dalai Lama's death.

During this search, the monks keep an eye out for extraordinary events, prophetic dreams, unusual behaviors and coincidences of birth.

Potential candidates are subjected to tests. They must, for example, recognize belongings of the former Dalai Lama among a group of similar objects.

The boy is only considered the reincarnation of the former leader if he passes the tests and if the mystical signs coincide.

Once recognized, the boy is taken to a monastery. There, he begins his spiritual and philosophical formation that will last several years, culminating in the enthronement ceremony as the new Dalai Lama.

This ceremony traditionally takes place at the historic Potala Temple in the holy city of Lhasa, Tibet. It marks the official recognition of the boy as the new Tibetan spiritual leader.

During this ritual, the minor, already dressed in monastic robes, is taken to the throne and given a new religious name. The act includes prayers, chants and offerings, with the participation of high lamas, monks and religious authorities.

The boy is later taken to the Jokhang temple, where he is ordained as a novice monk in a ceremony known as taphue , which includes cutting his hair as a symbol of renunciation of worldly life.

Tibetan Buddhism and China

The People's Republic of China occupied Tibet in 1950.

In 1959, after the failure of a revolt against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama crossed the Himalayan mountain range, disguised as a soldier, escorted by a small group of believers.

The spiritual leader, then 23 years old, went into exile in India.

The Indian authorities welcomed him and he settled in the town of Dharamsala. There, the Dalai Lama established the seat of the Tibetan government in exile and rebuilt his political and religious community.

China has since branded the Dalai Lama a "separatist." Beijing has banned the display of his image in Tibet and cracked down on all public displays of worship of the Tibetan leader.

The Dalai Lama, however, has steadfastly rejected Chinese control over Tibet and its religion. As a result, the issue of succession is a major source of conflict between the Chinese communist authorities and the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy.

In the book A Voz de Uma Nação (Ed. HarperCollins Brasil, 2025), published in March, the Dalai Lama predicts that his reincarnation will not be born in territory controlled by China, but rather "in the free world".

The task of identifying and locating the boy who is supposedly his reincarnation would fall to the Gaden Phodrang Foundation, created by the Dalai Lama himself in 2011, to coordinate his spiritual and humanitarian work.

But China argues that the central government must approve the selection of the future Dalai Lama by drawing one of the candidates' names from a golden ballot box. This method was introduced by the Chinese emperors of the Qing dynasty in the 18th century.

Beijing claims that this procedure has historical precedents and that the continuity of Tibetan Buddhism must be adjusted to national sovereignty.

In any case, most Tibetan Buddhists view Chinese interference with skepticism, especially given the precedent of the Panchen Lama.

In 1995, the Dalai Lama publicly recognized a six-year-old boy as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Days later, the boy and his family were detained by Chinese authorities and have never been heard from again.

In his place, Beijing imposed its own Panchen Lama, considered illegitimate by much of the Tibetan Buddhist community.

Therefore, after the death of the current spiritual leader, two Dalai Lamas could emerge, one recognized by the Gaden Phodrang Foundation and the other appointed by the Chinese authorities in Tibet. And the Dalai Lama himself has already considered this scenario.

"In the future, if we see the emergence of two Dalai Lamas, one from here in a free country and the other chosen by China, no one will respect the second one," he said in an interview in 2019.

His comments anticipate the dilemma surrounding his succession, which could mark an intense dispute that would put religion, identity and politics at stake.

And China and Tibetans in exile would not be the only parties involved.

India currently hosts more than 100,000 Tibetans in exile in addition to the Dalai Lama. The country attaches great strategic value to the spiritual leader's presence in Dharamsala.

The Dalai Lama has maintained strong relations with all Indian prime ministers since the country's independence. His figure serves as a diplomatic resource in the face of China's advance in the region.

Experts believe that India would oppose the imposition of a Dalai Lama who would serve Chinese interests and be used as a propaganda tool or territorial control in the Himalayas, which is the scene of frequent friction between the two Asian powers.

The United States has also shown some interest in the future of the institution.

In 2020, the US Congress passed the Tibet Policy and Support Act. It explicitly supports the Dalai Lama's right to determine the process of recognizing his own reincarnation and outlines sanctions for Chinese officials who interfere in the process.