As preparations are being made to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Tibetan religious leader, the Dalai Lama, the debate about who and how his successor will be selected has become heated.

According to Reuters, detailed information about the successor can be obtained through a three-day program this week with the presence of the Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.

The birthday of Lama, who has been claiming to be the 'government-in-exile of Tibet' in India for the past 65 years, is being celebrated on July 6 (June 22). On this occasion, a three-day gathering of Buddhist religious leaders is being organized in Dharamshala.

At the same time, the Dalai Lama is expected to give detailed information about his successor and the selection process. As the Chinese government itself is trying to choose the 15th Dalai Lama, this issue is becoming complicated from a religious as well as a geopolitical point of view .

After the conflict with the Chinese Communist government in 1959, the Lama, who escaped from Tibet and came to India, has been strongly criticized by Beijing as a separatist. Because of that, China has been taking the stance of choosing a new successor by itself. Lama has said that his successor will be born outside of China.

He has also asked his followers not to accept anyone chosen by Beijing as the Dalai Lama. He has indicated that the traditional rule that only children under 6 years of age should be heirs is not followed. He has joked that he could be reincarnated as a 'very strange white woman with a very beautiful face'.

In the current situation, the topic of choosing the successor of the Dalai Lama is new for the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Because, previously, the search for the next Dalai Lama was started only after the death of the current lama, and that too only within Tibet. This process could have taken years. However, the current 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzing Gyatso, has insisted that he will declare a successor while he is still alive and that his successor will be outside the control of China or the Chinese Communist Party. Segal has written a summary in "The Diplomat" that this angered Beijing.

Tibetan Buddhist followers believe that enlightened monks are reincarnated to carry on their spiritual legacy. The current Dalai Lama is turning 90 years old on Sunday. According to Reuters, he will consult with senior monks and others on his birthday to give possible hints about where his successor, boy or girl, might be found after his death.

"As much and as widely as possible, I will dedicate the rest of my life to the welfare of others," the Dalai Lama told his followers on Monday, adding that "a framework will be created to discuss the continuation of the Dalai Lama as an institution." When he was two years old, his predecessor, Thubten Gyatso, identified him as reincarnated.

Last March, Beijing said the Dalai Lama was a political exile and had "no right to represent the Tibetan people". Reuters reports that China has offered to discuss the Dalai Lama's future if he accepts that Tibet and Taiwan are part of China, and the Tibetan government in exile has rejected it.

This week's religious conference, which is being held for the first time since 2019, will be attended by more than a hundred Tibetan Buddhist leaders and according to the schedule released by the organizers, the Dalai Lama will participate in the prayer meeting on July 5 and a day later, he will participate in his birthday celebration . He will speak for about half an hour at the festival. Organizers said that Hollywood star Richard Gere, who is also a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, will participate in the

ceremony. Parliamentary Affairs Minister of India Kiran Rijiju is also expected to be present.

Tibetan Buddhist followers are praying for the longevity of the Dalai Lama, who returned to America last year after knee surgery. Last December, the Dalai Lama said in a conversation with Reuters that he could live up to 110 years. The previous Dalai Lama died at the age of 58.

The Dalai Lama and Tibetan authorities have said that the 'Tibetan government in exile' has made suitable arrangements for political events and that the Gaden Phodrang Foundation will continue to identify and search for a new Dalai Lama. The current Dalai Lama established this foundation in 2015 . Among its senior officials are his own associates .

The choice of Dalai Lama's successor has become a matter of strategic interest not only for Tibetan followers but also for China, India and the US. According to Tibetan tradition, the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated after his death.

Born on July 6, 1935 in a peasant family in North East Tibet, the current Dalai Lama was recognized as such a reincarnation at the age of two. He was chosen as the 14th Dalai Lama based on his recognition of the contents of previous Dalai Lamas, coming to the attention of monks and giving various congruent signals.