By Laurie Chen and Krishna N. Das BEIJING/DHARAMSHALA, India (Reuters) -Weeks before the Dalai Lama ruled out China's role in choosing his successor, President Xi Jinping met a Tibetan Buddhist monk installed three decades ago by Beijing as the faith's No.

The Dalai Lama has often called himself a simple monk, but millions of his Tibetan Buddhist followers have worshipped him for decades as a near deity.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, ending speculation ignited by his remark that he might be the last person