The Dalai Lama faces a horrible dilemma
Tibet’s spiritual leader is set to reveal one succession plan. China has another
For someone approaching his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama is in remarkably good nick. On a mid-June morning, The Economist joined a group audience with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader and watched him greet about 300 devotees and well-wishers individually. Dispensing advice and blessings for over an hour, he paused only once for a sip of hot water. He does this five times a week, plus occasional public teachings, in his adopted hometown of Dharamsala in northern India.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Who will be the chosen one?”
From the June 28th 2025 edition
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