Dalai Lama says will take decision on reincarnation when he is 90

Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has said that he will decide when he is "about 90" whether or not he should be reincarnated, and added that China should have no say in the matter.

The Dalai Lama made the statement on Saturday in a 4200-word document issued after a gathering of leaders of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism in Dharamshala.

"When I am about 90, I will consult the high lamas of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan public, and other concerned people who follow Tibetan Buddhism, and re-evaluate whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not," he said.

"On that basis we will take a decision," the 76-year-old spiritual leader, who is the 14th Dalai Lama, said.

"Apart from the reincarnation recognised through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People's Republic of China," he said.

Under Tibetan tradition, monks identify a young boy who shows signs he is a reincarnation of a late leader.

The spiritual leader said he had decided to lay out "clear guidelines to recognise the next Dalai Lama" while he was still "physically and mentally fit" so there was "no room for doubt or deception".

"The person who reincarnates has sole legitimate authority over where and how he or she takes rebirth and how that reincarnation is to be recognised," he said.

He said that if it was ultimately decided that that there was a need for a 15th Dalai Lama to be recognised, responsibility for doing so would mainly lie with officers of the Dalai Lama's trust.

"They should consult the various heads of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions," he said.

The institution of the Dalai Lama has been in existence since 1642, according to the Dalai Lama's office.

Former Tibetan prime minister in exile Samdong Rinpoche said the Dalai Lama's statement should "put to rest" all queries about the reincarnation procedure