some background for those who don't know much about the idea of the dali lama,

the dali lama is a religious and spiritual figurehead of tibetan buddhism. the current dali lama is fourteenth in a series of reincarnations of the original dali lama who worked with the mongols to bring peace to tibet. you might know that tibet is no longer a political area, but tibetan culture is spread throughout much of south east asia, southern china, and northern india all in the highlands of the himalayas. the current tibetan government is in exile in dharamsala (northern india) because the chinese have taken over tibetan lands (since 1949) and refuse to recognize the dali lama's position or tibet as an autonomous nation.  

the article focuses on the dali lama's possible reincarnation, a growing issue as the currently 72 year old man ages.