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Faced with Chinese plans to seize control of his reincarnation, the Dalai Lama has come up with two revolutionary proposals — either to forgo rebirth, or to be reborn while still alive.

The exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader proposed yesterday to hold a referendum among his 13-14 million followers around the world — before his death — on whether he should be reincarnated or not.

If the majority vote against it he said he would simply not be reborn, ending a lineage that tradition dictates dates back to the late 14th century, when a young shepherd was appointed the first Dalai Lama.

If the vote was in favour he said that he might appoint a reincarnation while he was still alive, breaking the 600-year-old tradition of being reborn as a small boy after his death.

His proposals not only raise some mind-bending metaphysical questions: they put China’s atheist Communist leaders in the unusual position of claiming to be the protectors of Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The 1989 Nobel Peace laureate, 72, said that he was in good physical condition, that detailed discussions on his succession had yet to begin, and that several options were being considered.

But he admitted that his proposals were designed to thwart China’s plans to select the next Dalai Lama and thus tighten its grip on the Himalayan region it has controlled since 1950. “Yes, a referendum, yes, it’s possible,” the Dalai Lama told The Times at an interfaith conference in the north Indian city of Amritsar.

“When my physical [condition] becomes weak and serious preparation for death [has started], then that should happen,” he said. “According to my regular medical check-up it seems another few decades, I think, are there, so no hurry.”

The Dalai Lama has traditionally been chosen by senior monks who interpret signals from the last reincarnation, scour the region for promising young candidates and then set a number of tests.

The current Dalai Lama — the 14th — was born into a farming family and identified at the age of 2 after passing tests, including identifying his predecessor’s rosary from among several others. He fled Tibet in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule and has been living in India ever since, heading a 200,000-strong Tibetan exile community from the northern town of Dharamsala.

He now campaigns for greater autonomy within China, but Chinese leaders accuse him of still seeking independence for Tibet, which they see as an integral part of their territory.