The Dalai Lama says he hopes to live more than 130 years ahead of 90th birthday

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) – Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said that he hopes to live until he is over 130 years old, days after he laid out a succession plan by saying he plans to reincarnate after his death.

The Dalai Lama, who is celebrating his 90th birthday on Sunday, made these comments during a ceremony organized by his followers to offer prayers for his long life. He has previously told followers worried about his health that he may live to the age of 110.

“I have been able to serve the Buddha dharma and the beings of Tibet so far quite well, and I hope to live over 130 years,” the Dalai Lama told thousands of followers who had gathered Saturday in India’s northern town of Dharamshala.

Dharamshala has been the Dalai Lama’s home in exile since 1959 after he fled Tibet in the wake of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Since then, he has sustained Tibet’s aspirations for greater autonomy under Chinese Communist Party rule and mobilized Tibetans inside and outside China.

On Wednesday, the Dalai Lama said that he intends to reincarnate, paving the way after his death for a successor to take on a mantle stretching back 500 years. Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama can choose the body into which he is reincarnated.

That announcement ended years of speculation that started when he indicated that he might be the last person to hold the role.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism also said that the next Dalai Lama should be found and recognized as per past Buddhist traditions, while stressing that his office will lead the search. In the past he has said his successor will be born in the “free world” – outside China.

China views the Dalai Lama as a separatist and has insisted that only Beijing has the authority to approve his successor. It also says it will reject anyone chosen without Beijing’s consent.

Tibetan Buddhist Phuntsko Tsering, who lives in Dharamshala, said the Dalai Lama’s latest remarks were aimed at thwarting Beijing’s attempts to identify his successor.

“What he trying to do is signal China that it shouldn’t meddle in the process of reincarnation,” Tsering said.

Meanwhile, the exiled Tibetan community of more than 20,000 people in Dharamshala is gearing up to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday on Sunday. His followers have put up giant posters and billboards across town, as tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the event, including Buddhist leaders of various sects and followers from across the world.

Barbara Weibel, a U.S. citizen who has been following Buddhism for more than 30 years, said she “had to be here for this.”

“I want this long life ceremony to keep him alive as long as possible,” she said.