Dalai Lama succession

It is very important to note that the Prague Declaration on Freedom of Religion or Belief 2025 has firmly asserted the Tibetan Buddhist community’s right to choose the successor of the 14th Dalai Lama without any political interference. Reports say the move is widely seen as a rebuke to China’s growing attempts to control the Tibetan spiritual lineage. Dalai Lama succession is a major geopolitical and religious dispute between the current 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community in exile on one side, and the Chinese government on the other. The 2025 Prague Declaration explicitly supports the Tibetan Buddhist community’s right to choose its leader without state interference. This is in direct opposition to China’s claims of authority over the Tibetan Buddhist community. The core of the issue stems from who has the authority to recognize the next Dalai Lama, who will be considered as the 15th reincarnation. The Tibetan Buddhists strongly believe that the soul of a senior monk is reincarnated in a child after his death, a process which is identified through spiritual signs and rituals. The current Dalai Lama, who had fled Tibet after China occupied the spiritual kingdom in 1959, has long insisted that his successor will be found in the free world and that the process is a purely religious matter to be decided by his office – the Gaden Phodrang Trust – and other high lamas. China views Tibet as an integral part of its territory and considers the Dalai Lama a “separatist”, and thus seeks to control the process to install a “puppet” leader and establish its control over Tibet. Beijing claims that, according to “historical conventions” and Chinese law – specifically a 2007 order – the successor of the Dalai Lama must be born within China’s borders and receive approval from the central government, sometimes referencing a Qing dynasty “golden urn” ritual as justification. This conflict became starkly evident in 1995 when China abducted the six-year-old boy the Dalai Lama had recognised as the 11th Panchen Lama – the second highest spiritual figure – and installed its own candidate, whose whereabouts continue to remain unknown. The Prague Declaration on Freedom of Religion or Belief 2025, issued in November 2025 during an IRFBA conference in Prague, on the other hand, supports the Tibetan Buddhist community’s right to choose its spiritual leaders without any kind of state interference from the Chinese authorities. Important to note, the declaration aligns with the stance of several democratic nations, such as the United States, which passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 authorising sanctions against Chinese officials who interfere in the selection process. The Dalai Lama has emphasized that his office, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, holds the sole authority in this matter.