The system of spiritual teachers (or lamas) consciously reincarnating in order to continue teaching the Dharma, is unique to Tibetan Buddhism, and began only around 1200 CE. The Dalai Lama and other lamas have often said that the system could be dismantled, if situations call for it to be so. If this system (called the Tulku system) were dismantled, the Dalai Lama and other lamas would likely still reincarnate in order to teach the Dharma, but they would not be brought up and trained from baby-hood to do so.
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