-By Lobsang Gelek for RFA Investigative

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, has said he will discuss the details of his reincarnation when he turns 90, next July. The China Tibetan Buddhist Academy — a Chinese government-supported  institution — isn’t waiting. This month, in Lanzhou, China, the group held a seminar to promote its views on the matter. The bottom line: whatever spiritual force guides this sacred process must adhere to the strictures of the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP.

If that sounds unholy, that may be the point. China has very practical reasons why it wants a say in who is the next Dalai Lama, given the enormous popularity of the current one and his ability to maintain cohesion among Tibetans across the globe in their fight for greater autonomy for Tibet.

The current Dalai Lama has become an enormously popular figure. Winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, his international renown has helped maintain a unity among Tibetans in and outside Tibet, despite efforts to negate his influence by the CCP. Click here to read more.