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DHARMSALA, India (AP) - The Dalai Lama said Saturday if he is to
be reincarnated he will leave clear written instructions about the
process, but that the matter is unlikely to come up for a number of
years.


      The Tibetan spiritual leader said in a statement that when he is
"about 90" he will consult Buddhist scholars to evaluate whether
the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue at all. He is 76.


      The statement came after a meeting between the Dalai Lama and
the leaders of the four Tibetan Buddhist sects, the first since he
transferred his political role earlier this year to an elected
prime minister.


      China reviles the Dalai Lama as a separatist, although the Nobel
Peace Prize laureate insists he is only seeking increased autonomy
for Tibet. Beijing has left little doubt that it intends to be
deeply involved in choosing the next Dalai Lama. That concern has
led the current Dalai Lama to contemplate ideas that break with the
ancient system in which each dead Dalai Lama is reincarnated in the
body of a male child.


      In May, the Dalai Lama formally stepped down as head of the
Tibetan government-in-exile, giving up the political power that he
and his predecessors have wielded over Tibetans for hundreds of
years. Though he remains the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism,
his decision to abdicate is one of the biggest upheavals in the
community since a Chinese crackdown led him to flee Tibet in 1959
into exile in India.


      China insists that religious law requires that the Dalai Lama's
reincarnation be born in a Tibetan area under Chinese control.
However, the Dalai Lama has said his successor will be born in
exile and has even floated the idea of choosing his own successor
while still alive - perhaps even a woman.


      In his statement Saturday, he said if the institution of the
Dalai Lama were to continue, then he would leave behind "clear
written instructions about it."


      "Bear in mind that, apart from the reincarnation recognized
through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance
should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone,
including those in the People's Republic of China," he said.


      The Dalai Lama has lived in the Indian hill town of Dharmsala
since fleeing Tibet. China says Tibet has always been part of its
territory, but many Tibetans say the region was virtually
independent for centuries.

Gallery

Religion and Faith

The Dalai Lama said if he is to be reincarnated he will leave clear written instructions about the
process.

Dalai Lama: will spell out reincarnation details

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