Dalai Lama turns 90 tomorrow, says he hopes to ‘live for 30–40 more years’ amid succession talks

THE elderly Dalai Lama on Saturday expressed his hope to live for another 40 years until around the age of 130, just days after addressing speculation about his succession by reaffirming that he would reincarnate after his death, according to a Reuters report.

The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader made the remarks during a long-life prayer ceremony organised by his followers, ahead of his upcoming 90th birthday on Sunday.

In a previous interview with Reuters in December, the Dalai Lama had suggested he might live to 110.

The Dalai Lama is revered by millions of Tibetan Buddhists as a living deity and is globally recognised as a steadfast advocate for peace, spiritual values, and Tibet’s autonomy, as reported by AP.

However, China views him as a political threat, accusing him of seeking to separate Tibet from Chinese rule.

As the spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists, he established a government-in-exile in the Indian town of Dharamshala after fleeing Tibet in 1959. Since then, he has travelled the world to raise the issue of Tibet and Tibetans while spreading a message of nonviolence.

He has met world leaders and celebrities, from the likes of fellow Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu to multiple U.S. presidents, popes and Hollywood stars.

Earlier on July 2, the Dalai Lama stated that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a foundation established by him, can only recognise future reincarnations, and no one else has the authority to decide on the matter. This statement rules out any say for China in the process of naming the next Dalai Lama.

In a statement on Wednesday, Dalai Lama stated, “The process by which a future Dalai Lama is to be recognized has been clearly established in the 24 September 2011 statement which states that responsibility for doing so will rest exclusively with members of the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions and the reliable oath-bound Dharma Protectors who are linked inseparably to the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.”