The 3-day  14th Tibetan Religious Conference that commenced in Dharamsala on November 27, on its opening day declared "The authority of decision concerning the way and manner in which the next reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama should appear solely rests with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama himself." Over 100 lamas, including nine high lamas, or senior Buddhist priests, representing all schools of Tibetan Buddhism attended. Last month, Tibetan Buddhists from around the world gathered in Dharamsala and passed a resolution at the 3rd Special General Meeting seeking continuation of the reincarnation tradition and vesting the rights to choose a successor on the Dalai Lama himself.

(Comment: The Tibetan Religious Conference is held every three years. Special General Meetings are held only when the need arises. The first such meeting was held in 2008 following Chinese repression of an uprising in Tibet and the second was held in 2012 to dissuade Dalai Lama followers from committing acts of self-immolation. The third Special General Meeting was held in October 2019 to discuss countering Chinese attempts to hijack Tibetan Buddhism by interfering with the process of succession to the 14th Dalai Lama.)