Wed Jul 02 05:22:17 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text:

**Dalai Lama Affirms Continuation of Institution After Death, Rejects Chinese Interference in Succession**

DHARAMSHALA, India – In a landmark decision with significant implications for his millions of followers worldwide, the Dalai Lama today declared that the 600-year-old institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after his death. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, who turns 90 on July 6th, made the announcement from Dharamshala, India, where he has resided for decades following his exile.

The Dalai Lama stated that his decision was in response to repeated appeals over the past 14 years from the Tibetan diaspora, Buddhists across the Himalayan region, Mongolia, and even those within Tibet, all requesting the continuation of the lineage.

“In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” he said in a video broadcast to religious leaders gathered in Dharamshala.

This announcement is particularly crucial given concerns about the future of Tibetan leadership and the sensitive issue of succession. The Dalai Lama also addressed fears that China might attempt to install its own successor to exert control over Tibet, which it has occupied since 1950. He firmly stated that the sole authority to identify the 15th Dalai Lama rests exclusively with the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the office of the Dalai Lama.

“I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation; no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter,” he emphasized.

The Dalai Lama and thousands of other Tibetans fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Lhasa. While China denounces the Dalai Lama as a separatist, he maintains that he is simply a Buddhist monk advocating for Tibetan cultural preservation and autonomy. His reaffirmation of the institution’s continuation and the rejection of external interference in the succession process marks a significant moment in the ongoing struggle to preserve Tibetan identity and spiritual traditions.

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