The Dalai Lama has said the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, ending years of speculation that started when he indicated that he might be the last person to hold the role. Speaking at prayer celebrations ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday, the Nobel peace prize-winning spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism said in a recorded statement that the next Dalai Lama should be found and recognised as per past Buddhist traditions. The Dalai Lama has insisted that his successor would be born outside China. Beijing, which…
Tag: Tibet
Dalai Lama at 90: son of a buckwheat farmer who became a thorn in China’s side – in pictures
The Dalai Lama watches a traditional dance performance during an event held for his 90th birthday, at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala on 30 June 2025. Draped in traditional maroon and yellow robes, the Dalai Lama sat and listened to speeches and chants of monks, nuns, pilgrims, as well as well-wishers from across the world on Monday. Photograph: Sanjay Baid/AFP/Getty Images The Guardian
Dalai Lama’s expected announcement might impede Chinese control of his succession
As the Dalai Lama approaches his 90th birthday on July 6, the world awaits the Tibetan spiritual leader’s decision on whether there will be a next Dalai Lama – an announcement the head of Tibetan Buddhism promised to unveil when he is 90 in what may serve as a definitive move to thwart the Chinese government’s efforts to exert control over his succession. The announcement is set to be the most consequential in modern Tibetan history, one that will shape the future of Tibetans’ seven-decade-long struggle to preserve their religious…
Event kicks off celebration of Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday
DHARAMSALA, INDIA — The Dalai Lama said there would be a “structured framework” for his succession and reflected on a “profoundly purposeful and deeply fulfilling” life as spiritual and administrative leaders gathered on Monday to begin celebrations for his 90th birthday. “Throughout my life, I have worked for the welfare of the Tibetan people, preservation of the Dharma, and for the happiness of all,” he said. “I believe this human life of mine has served the whole of mankind and I remain committed to dedicating the rest of it, too,…
U.S. lawmakers honor Dalai Lama with bipartisan resolution ahead of 90th birthday
Ahead of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6, U.S. lawmakers have introduced bipartisan resolutions in both chambers of the U.S. Congress to honor the Tibetan spiritual leader and designate the anniversary as ‘A Day of Compassion.’ The resolution – introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday and in the Senate on Tuesday – reaffirms that only the Dalai Lama himself should determine his successor and that any attempt by Beijing to select or appoint one would be an “invalid interference” and violation of religious freedom rights.…
Two Tibetan Buddhist monastery leaders sentenced for Dege dam protests
Authorities have sentenced two senior Tibetan monastic leaders to three- and four-year prison terms for their roles in rare 2024 public protests against a planned Chinese hydropower dam project, two sources in the region told Radio Free Asia. Sherab, the abbot of Yena Monastery in Dege county’s Wangbuding township in Kardze Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, was sentenced to four years in prison and Gonpo, the chief administrator, sentenced to three years, said the sources, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. It wasn’t immediately clear when the sentences were…
Hong Kong police tell people not to download ‘secessionist’ mobile game
Hong Kong police have warned people against downloading a Taiwan-developed mobile game which they say is “secessionist” and could lead to arrest. The game, Reversed Front: Bonfire, allows users to “pledge allegiance” to various groups linked to locations that have been major flashpoints or targets for China including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Manchuria, in order to “overthrow the communist regime” known as the “People’s Republic”. While some aspects and place names of the game’s worldview are imagined, the website says the game is “a work of NON-FICTION”…
Scorsese reflects on ‘spiritual act’ of making film about the Dalai Lama
NEW YORK — The making of Martin Scorsese’s 1997 Oscar-nominated film Kundun was a “spiritual act” and a “very personal and special project,” the legendary filmmaker said at a rare public screening of the film on the big screen at the Tribeca Festival in New York. Friday’s screening was part of global celebrations honoring the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. Kundun chronicles the early life of the Tibetan spiritual leader, from his discovery as the 14th Dalai Lama as a young child in Tibet to his escape into exile in India…
Tibetans evicted then reinstated after protest at US-China women’s soccer match
Tibetan activists protested for a “Free Tibet” during a women’s soccer friendly between the United States and China at the weekend — and won the support of other spectators who booed when they were briefly evicted from their seats by security. The Chinese team members and support staff confronted the eight activists who were seated close to them during Saturday’s friendly international match at the Allianz stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota, that the U.S. won 3-0. The activists, dressed in white T-shirts, had been shouting slogans and holding up white…
Tibetan resistance veterans offer legacy of unity, defiance in their twilight years
In the tranquil hills of Nepal’s Gandaki province, where the land rises in its northern district of Mustang toward the border with Tibet, the pace of life has slowed for the last legion of the Tibetan armed resistance. Now in their twilight years, these are the warriors who mounted a united campaign from the 1950s through to the mid-1970s against the Chinese occupation of their homeland. They live quiet, spiritual lives far removed from the days of gathering intelligence and ambushing Chinese military convoys. Many of these fighters were trained…