Prophetic Reincarnation

The Dalai Lama has responded to China's announcement that he can't reincarnate without their permission with word that he may choose his own successor.

"If the Tibetan people want to keep the Dalai Lama system, one of the possibilities I have been considering with my aides is to select the next Dalai Lama while I'm alive," he told Japan's Sankei Shimbun in an interview published Tuesday.

The Dalai Lama has said the Tibetan people will not accept a successor chosen by the Chinese government. The BBC has the story and some background information. The Associated Press has also written the story.