A senior Tibetan lama and Chinese government advisers have spoken out in defense of contentious rules apparently aimed at empowering China to name the next Dalai Lama in the event Tibet's spiritual leader dies. China's Religious Affairs issued regulations in July banning reincarnations of "living Buddhas", holy monks, that fail to seek government approval. Tibetan Buddhist groups and human rights organizations condemned this Chinese measure. In an interview with VOA, the Dalai Lama says there are a few options for selecting his successor. He emphasizes that in the event if he dies in exile, his reincarnation would be born outside of Tibet to complete the task that had began by him.