Question about the Dali Lama?

Question

How do they pick the next Dali Lama? I know each one is supposed to be the reincarnation of the last, but how do they know? Do they have to wait a few years, or do they look right away? What religion is the Dali Lama again?

Answer 1

Once the last has passed away, the monks begin their search for his renewed self. All newly born male children are listed and when they have reached the age of weaning, they are examined.

Each child is shown several objects, one of which was particularly important to the previous incarnation of the holy man. The child who reaches for THAT object first and no other at all is presumed to be the reincarnation of the holiest man in Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama. He is left with his parents until the age of two and then transported with great pomp to his new home, his chief lamasery where his retraining is begun. It is presumed that the stress of death and rebirth has caused gaps in his memory and the monks' chief concern is to make sure he gets all that back.

Since the Communist takeover, with so many Tibetans now living in exile, and the stringent restrictions placed upon the free practice of their faith by those still in Tibet, it will be extremely difficult for the monks to make that assessment with any degree of proficiency when the current Dalai Lama dies. A matter of much sorrow among them.

Aside: ALL the chief Lamas are found in this manner.

Answer 2

The Dalai Lama is tibettan Budhist, and actually the process for chosing the next one is rather complex. Basically after one dies, monks all over the place keep an eye out for any child who has traits similar to the previous dalai lama. They eventually test the child's knowledge personality, and prefferences for things that the child could not possibly know, among these are chosing the former dalai lama's possessions among a large collection of seeingly random items.

Answer 3

He's buddhist. They look for a child that can identify generic items that were owned by previous Dali Lama's.

Answer 4

It's not the previous Dalai Lama, there are many that can be reincarnated. Don't forget they are usually looking for a child/toddler, not a newborn infant.

Answer 5

http://www.dalailama.com/page.4.htm#discovery

For the Tibetans, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Gyalwa Karmapa, the Sakya Trizin and the Minling Trichen are considered the most important realized masters.

Answer 6

My understanding is that another lama had a vision of him, so he went to the young childs house to test him.
I've heard different stories about what he used to test the child, but apparently he passed the test. Probably had to do with past lives.

Answer 7

Tibetan buddhism. And the reincarnation is chosen from more "candidates".
And he is the Dalai Lama

Answer 8

it's called faith.