Dalai Lama has identified Mongolia’s next spiritual leader. But who will pick his successor?

More than 5,600 people had gathered for a ceremony in Dharamsala, when the Dalai Lama indicated toward a young child beside him.

According to the Dalai Lama’s website, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism identified the boy as the latest reincarnation of the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoché, the faith’s leader in Mongolia. The previous Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, the ninth to hold the title, died in 2012.

Due to the tense relations between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, however, recognising someone as the reincarnation of a Buddhist figure is not only religiously significant, but politically fraught. After annexing Tibet in the 1950s, China has sought control over the spiritual lineages of Buddhist leaders, particularly the Dalai Lama himself. In 2011, the Chinese foreign ministry declared that only the government in Beijing can appoint the next dalai lama and that no recognition should be given to any other candidate.

The current and 14th dalai lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be 88 in July, and the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa in Mongolia is traditionally one of the Buddhist leaders who recognises the Dalai Lama’s successor.

The dalai lamas

All dalai lamas are thought to be manifestations of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokitesvara. Bodhisattvas are beings who work solely for the benefit of others.

For Buddhists, the ultimate goal is enlightenment, or “nirvana” – a liberation from the...

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