Why a Struggle Is Brewing Over Dalai Lama Succession

Tibet’s spiritual leader — the 14th Dalai Lama — was “discovered” at the age of two after a senior monk saw a house and a hill in a vision. As he approaches his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama’s attention has turned to the next reincarnation.

Tibetan Buddhist tradition dictates that the decision to name a successor is made by a group of senior monastic figures known as high lamas. This time the choice will be politically fraught. Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, fled Tibet in 1959, nine years after China took control of the region, and China’s government says it has the right to designate his successor.