The Dalai Lama has become one of the world’s most recognizable figures while leading a Tibetan diaspora through their struggle for autonomy and opposition of China’s control of Tibet. He has not named a successor, but he says they will be born in the “free world” — outside China.

The contentious issue is potentially a flashpoint in India’s relationship with China, which has shown signs of a thaw, despite Beijing openly taking sides with Pakistan during the four-day Indo-Pakistan conflict in May.

The statement puts to rest speculation that the Dalai Lama may be the last of Tibet's spiritual leaders, ending a line that stretches back centuries.