The debate over who will one day succeed Tibet's iconic spiritual leader is heating up, even though the Dalai Lama himself says he is "good for another few decades".

 "As early as 1969 I made clear the very institution of the Dalai Lama is up to the Tibetan people," he said.

He outlined other methods to appoint his successor as well, such as one similar to electing the Pope where senior lamas would choose the next Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan spiritual leader also raised the possibility of himself naming a new Dalai Lama while he is still alive, a proposal he outlined in Japan last week.

The Dalai Lama's ideas have been roundly condemned by Beijing.

"The Dalai Lama's statement is in blatant violation of religious practice and historical procedure", the Foreign Ministry said.

"The Chinese government will not accept any of these proposals as it wants to be in control of Tibet's future spiritual leadership."

Guess there's no "seperation of church and state" in China these days, huh?

link   to the entire BBC News article