More than 5,600 people had gathered for a March 2023 ceremony in Dharamsala, India, when the Dalai Lama indicated toward a young child beside him.

According to the Dalai Lama’s website, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism identified the boy as the latest reincarnation of the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoché, the faith’s leader in Mongolia. The previous Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, the ninth to hold the title, died in 2012.

Due to the tense relations between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, however, recognizing someone as the reincarnation of a Buddhist figure is not only religiously significant, but politically fraught. After annexing Tibet in the 1950s, China has sought control over the spiritual lineages of Buddhist leaders, particularly the Dalai Lama himself. In 2011, the Chinese foreign ministry declared that only the government in Beijing can appoint the next dalai lama and that no recognition should be given to any other candidate.

The current and 14th dalai lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be 88 in July 2023, and the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa in Mongolia is traditionally one of the Buddhist leaders who recognizes the dalai lama’s successor.

All dalai lamas are thought to be manifestations of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokitesvara. Bodhisattvas are beings who work solely for the benefit of others.

For Buddhists, the ultimate goal is enlightenment, or “nirvana” – a liberation from the cycle of birth and death. East Asian and Tibetan Buddhists, as part of the Mahayana sect, believe bodhisattvas have reached this highest realization.

Furthermore, Mahayana Buddhists believe bodhisattvas choose to be reborn, to experience the pain and suffering of the world, in order to help other beings attain enlightenment.

Tibetan Buddhism has developed this idea of the bodhisattva further into identified lineages of rebirths called “tulkus.” Any person who is believed to be a reborn teacher, master or leader is considered a tulku. Tibetan Buddhism has hundreds if not thousands of such lineages, but the most respected and well-known is the dalai lama. The 14 generations of dalai lamas, spanning six centuries, are linked through their acts of compassion and their wish to benefit all living beings.

The current Dalai Lama was enthroned when he was about 4 years old and was renamed Tenzin Gyatso.

The search for him began soon after the 13th Dalai Lama died. Disciples closest to the Dalai Lama set about to identify signs indicating the location of his rebirth.

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