The Dalai Lama on Wednesday affirmed that he should have a successor and said the next Dalai Lama should be chosen by the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit group that he set up — rejecting moves by China to steer his succession.

The decision, he said in a statement that he read aloud during the opening day of a three-day conference of spiritual leaders in Dharamsala, came after years of appeals from Tibetan religious and secular leaders, as well as people and organizations from around the world.

“In particular, I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal,” he said. “In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue.”

His statement did not mention China by name, but it said that selecting the next Dalai Lama should be carried out “in accordance with past tradition.”

“No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” he said.

At a news conference, Penpa Tsering, president of the Tibetan government in exile, addressed China’s moves specifically.

“The core process of recognizing the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is as per the unique Tibetan Buddhist tradition,” he said. “Hence, we not only strongly condemn the People’s Republic of China’s usage of reincarnation subject for their political gain, and we shall never accept it.”

The Chinese foreign ministry reiterated on Wednesday that the selection of a new Dalai Lama must follow Chinese law and that it had to take place in China.

Tibetan Buddhists believe that when the Dalai Lama dies, his spirit will reincarnate in a new body. A search committee traditionally composed of high-ranking monks and lamas is formed to find a child born within a year of the Dalai Lama’s death who exhibits exceptional qualities and behaviors similar to his predecessor. The current Dalai Lama was two years old when he was identified.

In a book written earlier this year, the Dalai Lama said that his successor would be born in the “free world,” which he described as outside of China.

In 2011, the Dalai Lama said he would decide whether he would have a reincarnated successor “when I am about 90.” The Tibetan spiritual leader turns 90 on Sunday. Celebrations for the milestone birthday kicked off in Dharamsala on Monday. (VOA/RS)