Tibetan Buddhism – The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama

In Tibetan Buddhism, the successive Dalai Lamas are in the lineage of Gelugpa leaders, which can be traced back to 1391. Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama to be one of innumerable incarnations of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Between the 17th century and 1959 the Dalai Lama was also the head of the Tibetan government, in charge of the administration of a large portion of the country from his seat in the capital, Lhasa.

The Dalai Lama is considered the supreme head of Tibetan Buddhism, and the leaders of all four schools consider the Dalai Lama to be the highest lama of the Tibetan traditions. He is often styled "His Holiness" (often abbreviated to HH) before his title.

The Dalai Lama is often thought to be the head of the Gelug school, but this position officially belongs to the Ganden Tripa. Tibetans call the Dalai Lama Gyalwa Rinpoche meaning "Precious Victor," or Yishin Norbu meaning "Wish-fulfilling Jewel".

"Dalai" means "ocean" in the Mongolian language and "Lama" is the Tibetan equivalent of the Sanscrit "guru" - and is generally translated as "spiritual teacher". The actual title was first conferred by the Mongolian ruler Altan Khan upon Sonam Gyatso in 1578. He was an abbot living at the Drepung monastery who was considered to be the most eminent lama of his time.

Although Sonam Gyatso became the first to hold the title Dalai Lama, due to the fact that he was the third member of his lineage, he became known as the "3rd Dalai Lama" as the two previous incarnations were given the title posthumously.

The role of Dalai Lama in the early days was not a position of safety and was very political in nature, as some five Dalai Lamas were murdered within 170 years.

With the support of the Mongol ruler Gushri Khan of Khökh Nuur, the 5th Dalai Lama united Tibet, but the Dalai Lama of the time continued to rule much of Tibet with, to some extent, autonomy from Chinese influence.

When the People's Republic of China invaded the region in 1949 and then took full control in 1959, the 14th (and current) Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, fled to India and has since ceded temporal power to an elected government-in-exile. The Dalai Lama continues to seek greater autonomy for Tibet from what he sees as being an occupying power.

The title of Dalai Lama is granted to each of the spiritual leader's successive incarnations. Upon the death of the Dalai Lama, his monks institute a search for the Lama's reincarnation in the form of a small child, with familiarity with the possessions of the previous Dalai Lama being considered the main sign of the reincarnation.

The search for the reincarnation (or tulku) typically takes several years. He (or potentially she) is then taken to Lhasa to be trained by the other Lamas, although this is likely to be problematical in the current circumstances.

Despite its officially secular stance, the government of the PRC has asserted that it has the power to approve the naming of high reincarnations in Tibet. This decision cites a precedent set during the Qing Dynasty, when a system of selecting the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama by means of a lottery which utilises a golden urn with names wrapped in barley balls was instituted.

As recently as 1990, this precedent was called upon to name the Panchen Lama in place of the one who had already been named by the traditional method. The Panchen Lama is empowered to recognise the new Dalai Lama. There is some speculation (and great fears amongst many Buddhists) that with the death of the current Dalai Lama, the government of the People's Republic of China will direct the selection of a successor.

The 14th Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated that he will never be reborn inside territory controlled by the People's Republic of China, and has indicated that he may choose to be the last Dalai Lama, by not being reborn at all. However, he has also stated that the purpose of his repeated incarnations is to continue unfinished work and, as such, if the situation in Tibet remains unchanged, it is very likely that he will be reborn to finish his work.

To complicate matters, in a draft constitution for a future Tibet, the institution of the Dalai Lama can be revoked at any time by a democratic majority vote of two-thirds of the Assembly – and the 14th Dalai Lama has been reported as saying, "Personally, I feel the institution of the Dalai Lama has served its purpose."

From the time of the 5th Dalai Lama until 1959 the Potala Palace in Lhasa was the Winter residence and the Norbulingka Palace (some three kilometres distant) the Summer residence. The 14th Dalai Lama in exile has resided in Dharamsala, in the state of Himachal Pradesh in Northern India.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minster of India, was instrumental in granting safe refuge to the Dalai Lama and his fellow Tibetans when the Chinese took control of Tibet in 1959. Dharamsala is the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration (The Tibetan Government in Exile) and Tibetan refugees have constructed and opened many schools and Buddhist temples in the city and its surroundings.

The Panchen Lama is the second highest ranking lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which controlled Tibet from the 16th century until the Communist takeover in 1959. The successive Panchen Lamas form an incarnate tulku lineage and are said to be the successive incarnations of Amitabha Buddha, the name, meaning "great scholar".

The true incumbent (11th) incarnation of the Panchen Lama is a matter of controversy as the People's Republic of China asserts it is Qoigyijabu (Gyaincain Norbu), while the Tibetan Government in Exile maintains it is Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.

The conflict between the PRC government and the Buddhist authorities can be seen in this Reuters Report by Mark O’Neill from Beijing, with the dateline 8th December 1995:

"China enthroned a new six-year-old Panchen Lama on Friday, pressing Tibetan Buddhists to accept its controversial choice for Tibet's second-ranking monk over one named by the exiled god-king, the Dalai Lama."

"A grand ceremony in the Tashilunpo lamasery in Tibet's Shigatse city enthroned young Gyaincain Norbu as the 'soul boy' recipient of the spirit of the 10th Panchen Lama, who died in 1989, the official Xinhua news agency said."

"China's action posed Tibetans with a stark choice between two Panchen Lamas: Beijing's boy and Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a six-year-old native Tibetan."

"Exiled Tibetan and human rights groups have expressed concern over the fate of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who is reported to have been removed from Tibet with his parents. China has denied detaining the family or violating their rights."

"Signalling the importance China's atheist government places on the succession, State Councillor Li Tieying was flown to Tibet to represent the State Council, the communist cabinet."

"Beijing's political message was spelt out in Li's comments to the boy in a meeting on Wednesday."

"Xinhua said Li urged him to be patriotic and contribute to the unification of the motherland, unity of all ethnic groups and prosperity and progress in Tibet -- language familiar to Tibetans as warnings against the region's secession."

"Ever since Beijing engineered its Panchen Lama choice on November 29, it has portrayed spiritual succession as part of an epic 30-year struggle with the Dalai Lama, who China condemns as a pro-independence 'splittist'."

"The Dalai Lama and thousands of followers fled to India in 1959 after an abortive anti-Chinese uprising, but he continues to command the loyalty of many Buddhists in Tibet."

"A torrent of state propaganda has said Gyaincain Norbu was welcomed by Tibetans and branded the Dalai Lama's selection illegal and void because it was not approved by Beijing."

"China maintains it has the final say over senior lamas under a 1792 agreement with the imperial Qing dynasty. Tibetan exiles dispute this, saying the pact was informal and set not with China but with occupying Manchus who were toppled in 1911."

"Beijing has even portrayed the Dalai Lama's soul boy as a sinner who had drowned a dog, describing the alleged killing as a "heinous crime in the eyes of Buddha."

"Xinhua said Li Tieying was welcomed in Shigatse by 40,000 Buddhists and lay Tibetans who lined the streets waving fresh flowers and shouting greetings."

"The Dalai Lama has painted a different picture, saying posters were appearing in Lhasa and Shigatse denouncing China's imposition of a rival Panchen Lama on the Tibetan people."

"Residents of Tibet's three main cities were defying curfews and demonstrating against Beijing's choice, he said."

"There was no independent corroboration of events in Tibet, where western reporters are rarely allowed. Foreign media were not permitted to cover the controversial Buddhist succession."

"The Dalai Lama said both parents of the newly enthroned boy are local officials and Chinese Communist Party members -- who are explicitly forbidden to harbour religious beliefs."

"Speaking privately, one Chinese official in Beijing said the government was winning its struggle against the Dalai Lama."

"Our strategy is to separate politics from religion and reduce the influence of religion, he said. This is a long-term strategy. It is working with young Tibetans who are less interested in religion than their parents."

"He said the Dalai Lama's exiled supporters were losing touch with their culture, speaking foreign languages but little or no Tibetan, and could never endure Tibet's harsh conditions."

"Once this Dalai Lama dies, the struggle will be over, the official said."

The Tibetan Government in Exile have repeatedly stated that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has been missing since 1995, whilst the PRC Government insist that he is being educated in central China, away from the "glare of publicity".

The Exiles understand why the Chinese are so determined to have their own Panchen Lama in place. For centuries the Panchen Lama has been a religious and political leader of the Tibetan people second only to the Dalai Lama. The Chinese authorities believe they will be able to take advantage of the Tibetan's faith in their religious leaders in presenting a Panchen Lama of their own choosing and training. Since the Panchen Lama is the ultimate authority in the identification of the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, they believe it will only be a matter of time until the next Dalai Lama is theirs as well.

Amnesty International has urged the U.S. government to press for the release of Chadrel Rinpoche (a detained Buddhist monk originally given the task of finding the successor to the 10th Panchen Lama by the PRC authorities) and Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, "as well as 50 Tibetan monks, nuns, and lay people" detained over the Panchen Lama issue.

The actions of the Chinese government in the matter of the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama are seen by many, including neutral observers, to represent yet another attempt to weaken the social, moral, and religious fabric of Tibetan life so as to further its exploitation as a colonial possession. China's justifications of its actions naively assumed that the rest of the world will swallow its embarrassing prevarication. The many international Tibet support groups, supporters of Tibet in Congress and other parliaments, and student groups in the U.S. and elsewhere are working to see that the growing tide of awareness and support of the Tibetan people does not lose momentum.

These organisations include: The Free Tibet Campaign, Tibet Online, Free Tibet and many others.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the BBC has named HH the Dalai Lama the third most popular choice as world ruler.

If you're looking for a way to commemorate this event, you might be interested in this article: Commemorations with Cross Stitch

Web design by: TheWebsiteDesign.Co.UK

Copyright ©2010 TWSD Services, All rights reserved