Gaden Phodrang | The Trust of Dalai Lama

The 14th Dalai Lama’s announcement successful Dharamshala this week, asserting for the archetypal clip that the enactment volition proceed aft him, was welcomed by followers of Tibetan Buddhism and fans of its Spiritual person worldwide. However, it was his connection that the succession would beryllium decided by the Gaden Phodrang Trust, which would beryllium the “sole authority” connected the issue, that has sparked a crisp effect from Beijing, which believes it indispensable beryllium fixed the close to “approve” the candidate.

In an ironic twist for the Communist Party-led Chinese authorities successful Beijing, it cites a Qing dynasty tradition, utilized a fewer times, of picking the Dalai Lama’s successor done tons from a “Golden Urn”, arsenic the method it hopes to follow. For the Dalai Lama, who has lived successful India since 1959, erstwhile helium fled Lhasa years aft the Chinese annexed Tibet successful 1951, it volition beryllium the Gaden Phodrang spot helium acceptable up successful 2011, which helium heads, on with an alternate Chairperson, who is besides 1 of the astir respected lamas successful the community, Samdhong Rimpoche, that volition instrumentality the call.

While the spot was formally acceptable up and registered successful Dharamshala successful the erstwhile decade, the instauration of Gaden Phodrang Labrang goes backmost hundreds of years, and refers to the bureau of the Dalai Lama arsenic a continuing instauration from the clip of the 5th Dalai Lama. Gaden Phodrang was the sanction of the Tibetan government, established by the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso oregon ‘the Great Fifth’, arsenic some the Spiritual and Political caput of a unified Tibet. It was coined from the sanction of the humanities property of the Dalai Lamas astatine the Drepung Monastery, earlier the iconic Potala Palace was constructed.

Separation of powers

In 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama acceptable up the Gaden Phodrang Trust arsenic helium decided to abstracted the Spiritual and Political powers of his post. “I person present voluntarily brought this [unified power] to an end, arrogant and satisfied that we tin prosecute the benignant of antiauthoritarian strategy of authorities flourishing elsewhere successful the world”, helium said, handing implicit the work for the payment and governance of the Tibetan assemblage worldwide to the Sikyong, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Tibetan Parliament successful Exile (TPiE) that are elected each 5 years.

Within his ain office, the Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (OHHDL), helium acceptable up the Gaden Phodrang Trust to guarantee the continuity of spiritual and accepted issues, and the Dalai Lama Trust that undertakes charitable and payment initiatives. Another branch, the Gaden Phodrang Foundation, was acceptable up arsenic a “non-profit, tax-exempt instauration registered successful the Canton of Zurich and nether the supervision of the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs” to beforehand non-violence and summation synergies betwixt religion and science. “There should beryllium nary confusion, the Gaden Phodrang Trust that His Holiness (Dalai Lama) referred to is an entity successful India,” said Dhundup Gyalpo, Secretary of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama successful New Delhi.

According to the Dalai Lama’s 2011 statement, which helium has present reaffirmed, officers of the Gaden Phodrang Trust would carnivore the work to recognise the 15th Dalai Lama — by a process helium would permission written instructions about. This would see consulting assorted heads of Tibetan Buddhist traditions, seeking proposal from them connected the procedures required to hunt for the adjacent Dalai Lama, believed to beryllium reborn oregon reincarnated from the contiguous one.

“Bear successful caput that, isolated from the reincarnation recognised done specified morganatic methods, nary designation oregon acceptance should beryllium fixed to a campaigner chosen for governmental ends by anyone, including those successful the People’s Republic of China”, the Dalai Lama said successful the connection dated September 24, 2011. In his latest statement, dated July 2,2025 the pontiff hasn’t straight named China, but repeated the mandate, saying unequivocally that the “Gaden Phodrang Trust has sole authorization to admit the aboriginal reincarnation; nary 1 other has immoderate specified authorization to interfere successful this matter”.

In his latest book, Voice for the Voiceless, the Tibetan person has besides said that fixed the relation the adjacent Dalai Lama indispensable fill, it is indispensable that his successor beryllium calved successful the “free world”, meaning extracurricular of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) successful China.

At a property league successful Dharamshala up of the Dalai Lama’s 90th day that falls connected July 6, Prof. Samdhong Rimpoche said that the announcement has clarified the task up of the Gaden Phodrang Trust. Mr. Rimpoche added, however, that determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate clip earlier it needs to fulfil its mandate, peculiarly arsenic the pontiff, who helium said is successful “good health”, himself has said helium expects to unrecorded to 110 years.