The Dalai Lama has confirmed the 600-year-old institution will continue after his death.
A statement on the spiritual leader’s website says only the trust that he founded could appoint his successor and “no-one else has any authority to interfere in this matter”.
The announcement comes days before his 90th birthday.
According to BBC News, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader has always insisted that his successor must be born outside China.
However, a Chinese foreign ministry official said the Dalai Lama’s replacement must comply with Chinese laws, as such, regulations and “religious rituals and historical conventions”, and would need to be approved by Beijing.
