In a decisive message delivered to the 15th Tibetan Religious Conference, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama affirmed that the sacred institution of the Dalai Lama will continue. In a pre-recorded video, the spiritual leader declared that the recognition of his next reincarnation will be carried out exclusively by the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the spiritual office he established. With this announcement, His Holiness has laid to rest years of speculation and firmly placed the future of the Dalai Lama lineage in the hands of Tibetans, untainted by political interference.