His followers see him as the face of Tibet’s aspirations for greater autonomy, but have for years wrestled with the idea that he might be the last person to hold the role. He put that speculation to rest Wednesday,

The Dalai Lama says he hopes to live until he is over 130 years old, a remark he made during a ceremony organized by his followers to offer prayers for his long life as he prepares to celebrate his 90th birthday.

“I still hope to live for over 130 years,” the Dalai Lama told hundreds followers from around the world who gathered in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, where he has lived after fleeing Tibet in 1959 in the wake of a failed uprising against Chinese rule.