For much of the past century, the Dalai Lama has been the living embodiment of Tibet’s struggle for greater freedoms under Chinese Communist Party rule, sustaining the cause from exile even as an increasingly powerful Beijing has become ever more assertive in suppressing it.

Speaking at prayer celebrations ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, ending

The Dalai Lama has announced that he intends to reincarnate, paving the way for a successor to take on a mantle stretching back 500 years after his death