Later life in exile of the 14th Dalai Lama
In the wake of the Lhasa uprising and the Chinese consolidation of power across Tibet, tens of thousands of Tibetans followed the Dalai Lama into exile. In 1960 he established his government-in-exile in Dharamshala, a former British hill station in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where he continued to reside. The government of India, however, was reluctant to allow all the Tibetan refugees to concentrate in one region, and thus it created settlements across the subcontinent where asylum-seeking Tibetans established farming communities and built monasteries. The welfare of the refugees and the preservation of Tibetan culture in exile, especially in light of reports of the systematic destruction of Tibetan institutions during China’s Cultural Revolution (1966–76), were the primary concerns of the Dalai Lama during this period.
The Dalai Lama traveled little during the early part of his exile and published only two books, an introduction to Buddhism and an autobiography. In later years, however, he traveled quite extensively, visiting Europe for the first time in 1973 and the United States for the first time in 1979. He subsequently traveled to dozens of other countries, delivering addresses at colleges and universities, meeting with political and religious leaders, and lecturing on Buddhism.
The 14th Dalai Lama’s politics and philosophy
The Dalai Lama’s activities have focused on both political matters concerning Tibet and wider philosophical matters on Buddhism and religion in the modern world.
He has worked extensively to build and sustain international awareness of the plight of Tibet. In 1987 he presented his “Five Point Peace Plan” before the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus. In that plan, he called for the
In 1988, at a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, the Dalai Lama set forth a plan that he termed the “Middle Way Approach,” in which Tibet would be an autonomous region of China rather than an independent state. He continued to advocate this approach between the complete independence of Tibet and its complete absorption into the People’s Republic of China. A significant component of his plan would be to maintain Tibet’s autonomy while allowing for the region to benefit from Chinese technological and defense prowess. In addition, the Dalai Lama sent numerous delegations to China to discuss such proposals, but they met with little success. In recognition of his efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989.
Related to his peace efforts, interreligious harmony frequently featured in his advocacy. In his essay “A Human Approach to World Peace” he wrote,
Interfaith understanding will bring about the unity necessary for all religions to work together. However, although this is indeed an important step, we must remember that there are no quick or easy solutions. We cannot hide the doctrinal differences that exist among various faiths, nor can we hope to replace the existing religions by a new universal belief. Each religion has its own distinctive contributions to make, and each in its own way is suitable to a particular group of people as they understand life. The world needs them all.
The Dalai Lama’s other main goal has been to disseminate the central tenets of Buddhism to a wide audience around the globe. During his tenure, he presided over 34 Kalachakra (“Wheel of Time”) initiations worldwide. He authored more than a hundred books on Buddhist themes, many of which were derived from public lectures or interviews. Some of these works were written in the traditional form of commentaries on Buddhist scriptures, whereas others ranged more widely over topics such as interreligious dialogue and the compatibility of Buddhism and science.
On the subject of Buddhism and science, Tenzin Gyatso wrote extensively. Describing himself as “half Buddhist monk, half scientist,” he included in his books numerous conversations with scientists. In his 2005 book The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality, the Dalai Lama offered a personal and analytical reconciliation of religion and science. In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989, he pivoted from a larger conversation about avoiding violence to unifying science and religion:
With the ever-growing impact of science on our lives, religion and spirituality have a greater role to play by reminding us of our humanity. There is no contradiction between the two. Each gives us valuable insights into the other. Both science and the teachings of the Buddha tell us of the fundamental unity of all things. This understanding is crucial if we are to take positive and decisive action on the pressing global concern with the environment. I believe all religions pursue the same goals, that of cultivating human goodness and bringing happiness to all human beings. Though the means might appear different, the ends are the same.
Writing for The New York Times in 2005, he suggested,
If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more advanced, I believe that Buddhism enriches its own worldview.
Since a Dalai Lama is considered the incarnation of Avalokiteshvara (“the One Who Looks Down”), the bodhisattva of compassion, it is not surprising that compassion is a main theme in the Dalai Lama’s extensive writing on Buddhist ideas. Avalokiteshvara—in Tibetan, Chenrezig (“All-Seeing Eye”)—is notable for having taken the quintessential bodhisattva vow to assist every sentient being on earth to achieve release (moksha) from suffering (dukkha) prior to achieving his own release and status of buddhahood. Writing for Encyclopædia Britannica, the Dalai Lama contended that there is a feedback loop of helping others, since “compassion makes us happy!”
Throughout his life, the Dalai Lama has fulfilled his traditional roles for the Tibetan community. He is revered by Tibetans both in Tibet and in exile as the human incarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and as the protector of the Tibetan people. In the latter role, he consulted with oracles in making major decisions and made pronouncements on the practice of Tibetan Buddhism, as in 1980 and again in 1996, when he spoke out against the propitiation of the wrathful deity Dorje Shugden, one of the protectors of the Dge-lugs-pa (Gelukpa) school.
In 2011 the Dalai Lama stepped down as the political head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, but he remained the community’s religious leader. The temporal role of tending to the Tibetan people, he decided, would be handled by a democratically elected body. In his retirement speech, he declared that “the rule by kings and religious figures is outdated. We have to follow the trend of the free world, which is that of democracy.” In making this decision, he ended the political authority of the Dalai Lama, which had begun with the fifth Dalai Lama in the 17th century, and made the role solely religious.
The Dalai Lama also has a significant following among Tibetan Buddhist followers in Mongolia, who make up about half the country’s population. In that role, he advised Mongolians against drinking alcohol in favor of drinking horse milk, and in 2023 he recognized a United States-born boy as the latest reincarnation of Jebtsundamba Khutugtu, the head of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia.
The 14th Dalai Lama’s uncertain succession
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as the 14th Dalai Lama reached an advanced age, questions and speculations grew about his succession and potential Chinese government involvement in that process. He has publicly wondered whether there would be another Dalai Lama, and he has suggested that he might be reborn outside Tibet, and therefore beyond Chinese authority. In 2025 he confirmed that there would be a 15th Dalai Lama and he entrusted his own institutional trust with sole authority for identifying his successor. However, the possibility of Chinese oversight of the next Dalai Lama’s selection has overshadowed the 14th Dalai Lama’s later years and the future of the Dalai Lama lineage.
The likelihood of Chinese involvement in the 14th Dalai Lama’s succession was highlighted in 1995 during the selection of the 11th Panchen Lama—another important religious leader in Tibetan Buddhism—a process in which the Dalai Lama had typically played a significant role. The 14th Dalai Lama’s choice, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and his family were detained by the Chinese government and have since been missing, according to authorities outside China. (China insists that he and his family are living a normal life in Tibet.) Later in 1995 the Chinese government appointed its own choice for the Panchen Lama, Gyancain Norbu. Some observers speculated that two Dalai Lamas, one in exile and one in China, might be identified, following the example of the Panchen Lama’s selection.
In a 2004 interview with Time magazine, the 14th Dalai Lama indicated that his successor would be discovered outside Chinese-controlled Tibet, thereby possibly avoiding Chinese oversight in the identification and selection process. Along with his notion that the 15th Dalai Lama would likely be born outside Tibet (such an event having occurred only with the 4th Dalai Lama, who was born in Mongolia), he commented in 2007 that his successor could be a woman, which would break with a long tradition of male lamas.
In 2007 the Chinese government passed a law that determining the reincarnations of Tibetan lamas would be conducted in a traditional manner but with the oversight of Chinese officials. According to that law, China would have final say over Tibetan Buddhist lamas’ reincarnations, and it prohibited anyone outside the country (including the present Dalai Lama) from having any involvement. The Chinese government has insisted on confirming the next Dalai Lama by the drawing of lots from a ceremonial golden urn. This method of choosing among candidates for certain high lamas was instituted in 1792 by emperor Qianlong (1711–99) of the Chinese Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12) as a means of exercising oversight of Tibetan administration. Although the method was not used for identifying the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas, the Chinese government’s 2007 law concerning lama succession requires that the golden urn be used for recognizing certain reincarnations, such as that of the Dalai Lama, unless a request to forgo the ritual is approved by the Chinese government.
In September 2011 the 14th Dalai Lama released a statement remarking upon his potential reincarnation. He announced that when he approached 90 years of age, he would consult other high lamas within Tibetan Buddhism as well as the Tibetan public and other interested parties about whether the tradition of Dalai Lamas should continue. He also declared that exclusive responsibility for recognizing that reincarnation would belong to the Gaden Phodrang Trust, an entity that the 14th Dalai Lama established in 2011, and that outside parties—namely, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—would have no authority to select his reincarnation.
On July 2, 2025, four days before the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, he released a follow-up statement confirming that, on the advice of many voices that had insisted on the continuity of the tradition, there would be a 15th Dalai Lama after his death. In addition, he reiterated that the Gaden Phodrang Trust would have sole authority to recognize the reincarnation. The Dalai Lama said that his reincarnation would be identified through the foundation’s consultation with the dharmapalas—deities who protect Tibetan Buddhism—and with other authoritative lamas in the various Tibetan Buddhist schools.