FACTBOX: Succession of the Dalai Lama

(Reuters) - Many Tibetans fear the death of the current Dalai Lama would be a major setback in their fight for more autonomy within China or independence, creating a leadership vacuum that Beijing is expected to exploit.

Here is an overview of how Tibet's top spiritual leader has been selected in the past and what may happen next.

SUCCESSION:

-- Tibetan Buddhism holds that the soul of a high monk or "living Buddha" is reborn after his death and the resulting "soul boy" can be found through the interpretation of arcane signs.

-- Historians suggest that boys who became Dalai Lamas were often found in remote, rural areas so as to buffer the institution from political infighting in the capital Lhasa and lessen the politicization of the post. Pragmatists point out that as monks are celibate, succession is necessarily non-hereditary.

THE LAST SEARCH:

-- After the death of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1934, Tibetan officials asked local authorities to look out for remarkable baby boys with characteristics including large ears, tiger-striped legs and palms bearing the pattern of a sea-shell.

-- In 1936, search teams fanned out over eastern Tibet after a high official said signs indicated a reincarnate would be found there. In 1937, the 14th Dalai Lama was discovered as a two-year old named Lhamo Dhondup, in Taktser village, in eastern Qinghai province, a region called Amdo by Tibetans.

-- Like other possible reincarnations, he underwent various tests aimed at confirming his previous identity; such as being asked to pick out objects that belonged to the previous Dalai.

THE SUCCESSOR:

-- The now 73-year-old Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, and has suggested his reincarnation may be found outside China. But he has said Tibetans should decide if they want to continue with the spiritual institution after him.

-- Tibetan officials and experts say it is very unlikely that there would not be another Dalai Lama. They offer four options:

1. Traditional search parties go out to spot the successor of the Dalai Lama from among six million Tibetans around the world.

2. A college of senior lamas chooses the new Dalai Lama from within its ranks.

3. The senior-most lama becomes the Dalai Lama.

4. Dalai Lama chooses his own successor.