The Dalai Lama has been the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism for the last 500 years. When a Dalai Lama passes away, a council of high priests in Tibet carries out the search for his reincarnation. They consult various signs and oracles, as well as the Dalai Lama's own writings and teachings, to guide them in their search. They look for a child who was born around the time of the previous Dalai Lama's death. Historically, China has aggressively pushed for having one of their own as the Dalai Lama, and have justified their demands by labeling the legitimately selected Dalai Lama as a separatist, trying to split Tibet from China.
Tenzin Gyatso, who is the 14th Dalai Lama, went into exile in India after the failure of the Tibetan revolt to thwart China’s attempts to force the annexation of Tibet in 1959, and has gone on to become a renowned world leader. He has historically advanced a moderate approach on the Tibet-China conflict, suggesting increased representation of Tibetan ethnic minorities in China as one of the solutions, as opposed to demanding for an independent Tibet.
He is 88 years of age as of today, and has been contemplating the future of the Dalai Lama. One of the things that he has suggested is that the Dalai Lama would not be reincarnated, i.e. he has suggested abandoning the position as a whole because he believes that the Dalai Lama has “served its purpose”. Not reincarnating is equivalent to a permanent abandonment of the position