The 72-year-old said he was looking at "different methods or ways" of selecting a successor after nearly five decades in exile, drawing a sharp rebuke from Beijing.

"If my death comes when we are still in a refugee status then logically my reincarnation will come outside Tibet," the Dalai Lama said in an interview restricted to three journalists.

According to centuries of tradition, high-ranking monks in Tibet choose the Dalai Lama's reincarnation after the death of the incumbent.

Instead, he suggested his successor could be selected by election, like the pope; by seniority, or could take over in the traditional way, but outside Tibet.

This would head off plans by China's ruling Communist Party to select a successor itself.

China, which has ruled Tibet since 1951 and has violently crushed protests there, recently announced that so-called Tibetan living Buddhas needed permission from the government, officially atheist, to be reincarnated.

"China of course will appoint someone else," he said in response to a question on Chinese charges that to name a successor before dying would disrespect Buddhist traditions.

The comments on the sidelines of an inter-faith meeting in this Sikh holy city in northern India drew an immediate rebuke from Beijing.

"The reincarnation of the living Buddha is a unique way of succession of Tibetan Buddhism and follows relatively complete religious rituals and historical conventions," the foreign ministry said in a faxed statement to AFP.

"The Dalai's remarks obviously violated the religious rituals and historical conventions."

The statement was the same as Beijing's initial reaction to the Dalai Lama's comments last week in Japan when he said he was open to naming his successor before he died.

However, the Tibetan leader went further on Tuesday.

He said the concept was not unprecedented in Tibetan Buddhism, noting that one of his teachers in Lhasa had his successor named while he was still alive.

But he noted that "a serious succession process has not yet started," adding, "according to my regular medical check-up I am good for another few decades."

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule and has set up a government in exile in the Indian hill station of Dharamsala.

The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner maintains that he would like to talk with Chinese leaders. Beijing has had a series of meetings with his emissaries in recent years, but has baulked at direct talks.

On Tuesday, he said that Tibet was becoming the victim of "demographic aggression" because an influx of Han Chinese into cities such as Lhasa have lead to "some kind of cultural genocide."

The Dalai Lama also said a succession plan would include popular opinion from Tibetans living in China and the exile community.

He said there should be a Dalai Lama in Tibetan Buddhism, but noted a need for consensus on whether the post retains relevance, and did not rule out a referendum.

"Yes, oh yes, it's possible," he said of a referendum. "When my physical (condition) becomes weak and serious preparations are made for death then that should happen."

"Should the Tibetan people in the hundreds of thousands like to continue with the Dalai Lama, (it) is important," he said.

Beijing views the Buddhist leader as a dangerous figure who wants independence for his Himalayan homeland.

The Dalai Lama said Beijing had misunderstood his goals, which were cultural autonomy and a "middle way" of co-existing.

"I want to make it very clear: we are not seeking separation or independence," he said. "We need money. We need modernisation. From the PRC (People's Republic of China) we get much benefit."

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