The aged Dalai Lama expressed his desire to live beyond 130 years on Saturday. This statement came shortly after he addressed the topic of his succession, reassuring that he would reincarnate after his passing.
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader shared his thoughts during a ceremony held by his followers, who gathered to pray for his continued well-being, just before his 90th birthday, which falls on Sunday.
The Dalai Lama previously told Reuters in December he might live to 110.
“I still hope to live for over 130 years,” he remarked to hundreds of followers who had traveled from various parts of the world to the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala. This is where the Dalai Lama has resided since fleeing Tibet in 1959 following an unsuccessful revolt against Chinese control.
“We have lost our country and we live in exile in India, but I have been able to benefit beings quite a lot. So, living here in Dharamshala, I intend to serve beings and the dharma as much as I can,” he said, referring to the teachings of the Buddha, according to a translation of his speech.
Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a separatist and has insisted that its leaders would have to approve his successor as a legacy from imperial times.
The Dalai Lama has previously said that he would reincarnate in the “free world” and this week told his followers that the sole authority to recognize his reincarnation rests solely with his non-profit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust.
