There are many schools of Buddhist thought https://www.thebuddhistsociety.org/page/different-forms-of-buddhism

It is unfortunate that many people think the Dalai Lama = Buddhism. The whole process of "finding" the next Dalai Lama is not something that other representations of Buddhist thought place any importance in. I follow Buddhist thought as taught by Thich Nhat Hanh, who teaches of the nature of the Buddha (compassion and love) that is found in all of us. We don't need a venerated "leader" to find the Buddha, and the original Buddha was a man, not a god. The Dalai Lama's actions were those of a man, and had nothing to do with Buddhism.