Tibet’s expatriated spiritual leader has verified that he’ll have a successor after he dies, delighting Buddhist followers around the world that the 600- time-old institution of the Dalai Lama will continue. It’s a significant decision for Tibetans, numerous of whom were wondering about a future without a leader, as well as for global sympathizers who see the Dalai Lama as a symbol of pacifism, compassion and the enduring struggle for Tibetan artistic identity under Chinese rule.
According to Tibetans, Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th manifestation of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is respected by his followers for his inexhaustible crusade for a reduced autonomy for Tibet, a vast high- altitude region roughly the size of South Africa, in China. He and thousands of other Tibetans have lived in exile in India since Chinese colors crushed a revolution in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959. The outstanding Nobel Peace Prize- winning Buddhist had preliminarily said the institution of the Dalai Lama would continue only if there was popular demand. He said he’d join the prayers offered before by 14 ministers on behalf of the Tibetan community in exile, the Himalayan region, Mongolia and Buddhists from the corridor between Russia and China,” and earnestly request that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue”.” In particular, I’ve entered dispatches through colorful channels from Tibetans living in Tibet, where they’ve been living for decades, making the same appeal,” he said in a videotape broadcast at the launch of a meeting of religious leaders in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.” Agreeing to all these requests, I confirm that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” he said, according to the accepted interpretation.