Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has declared the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, ending years of speculation that started when he indicated that he might be the last person to hold the role.
Speaking at prayer celebrations before his 90th birthday on Sunday, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism said the next Dalai Lama should be found and recognised as per past Buddhist traditions, while signalling that China should stay away from the process of identifying his successor.
The Dalai Lama's succession plan is politically consequential for most Tibetans who oppose China's tight control of Tibet and have struggled to keep their identity alive, in their homeland or in exile.
It is also profound for Tibetan Buddhists who worship him as a living manifestation of Chenrezig, the Buddhist god of compassion.
The decision, however, is expected irk China, which has repeatedly said that it alone has the authority to approve the next religious leader.
It insists the reincarnated figure must be found in China's Tibetan areas, giving Communist authorities power over who is chosen.
Many observers believe there eventually will be rival Dalai Lamas - one appointed by Beijing, and one by senior monks loyal to the current Dalai Lama.
Tenzin Gyatso became the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama in 1940.
He fled Tibet when Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959 and has been living in exile in the town of Dharamshala in India since then.
Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama can choose the body into which he is reincarnated, as has happened on 14 occasions since the creation of the institution in 1587.
He has previously said his successor would be born outside China.
The Dalai Lama laid out his succession plan in a recorded statement that was televised at a religious gathering of Buddhist monks in Dharamshala.
He said the process of finding and recognising his reincarnation lies solely with the Gaden Phodrang Trust - an organisation founded by him in 2015.
"No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," he said, adding the search for a future Dalai Lama should be carried out in "accordance with past tradition".
The search for a Dalai Lama's reincarnation begins only upon the incumbent's death. In the past, the successor has been identified by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions, and it can take several years after the next Dalai Lama is identified as a baby and groomed to take the reins.