Panchen lama biography channel

Panchen Lama

The Panchen Lamas beyond the second most powerful holy and secular figures in Xizang, after the Dalai Lamas. High-mindedness word pan is a quick form of the Sanskrit huddle paṇḍita (scholar), and chen keep to a Tibetan word that income "great." Although the institution try to be like Panchen Lama, like the Dalai Lama, is part of influence Dge lugs (Geluk) tradition weighty its origins, its power courier authority extend beyond the scope of that particular sect.

The ruling of Panchen Lamas begins connect with the abbots of Bkra shis lhun po (pronounced Tashilunpo) Cloister in Gzhi ka rtse (Shigatse), the largest city in Gtsang (Tsang) in west central Thibet.

Bkra shis lhun po was founded by Dge 'dun chuck (Gendun Drup, 1391–1474), a learner of the great scholar-saint Tsong kha pa (1357–1419). Dge 'dun grub, who was posthumously labelled the first Dalai Lama, was instrumental in extending the smooth of the fledgling Dga' ldan pa (Gandenpa, later called Announce lugs pa) sect beyond high-mindedness east central region centered take turns Lhasa.

The first named Panchen Lama was Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan (Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, 1567–1662), the teacher of ethics fourth and fifth Dalai Lamas and the force behind decency coalition that in 1642 guilty the Karma pas and their Gtsang patrons.

Following that give in, the center of power non-natural decisively from Gtsang to ethics new government called the Tuṣita Palace (Dga' ldan pho brang) seated in the Potala keep in Lhasa. As an enunciation of gratitude for his compliant, the fifth Dalai Lama (1617–1682) named his teacher the superior of Bkra shis lhun po Monastery and bestowed on him the title Panchen Lama.

As angst the Dalai Lamas, a circulation of important figures were to sum up and retroactively named earlier reincarnations of Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan.

The most valuable of them was Mkhas sponge dpal bzang po (Kaydrub Pelzangpo, 1385–1438), one of the bend in half closest disciples of Tsong kha pa. Following him was Bsod nams phyogs kyi glang po (Sonam Chokyi Langpo, d. 1504?) and Blo bzang don forage (Lobsang Dondrub, 1505–1566). According let fall this manner of calculation, Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan became the fourth Panchen Lama, and the present disputed toddler incarnation of the Panchen Lama, Dge 'dun chos kyi nyi ma (Gendun Chökyi Nyima, uncoordinated.

1990), is the eleventh.

In a few early English accounts the Panchen Lamas are called Tashi Lamas, a confusion between the nickname of the person and Bkra bzhis lhun po Monastery; suspend Chinese publications, they are labelled Panchen Erdini, a Mongolian dialogue that means "precious jewel." That latter title was first presented on the fifth Panchen Lama, Blo bzang ye shes (Lobsang Yeshay, 1663–1737) in 1731 rough the Manchu-Chinese emperor Kangxi.

After glory death of the seventh Dalai Lama in 1758, the ordinal Panchen Lama, Blo bzang dpal ldan ye shes (Lobsang Palden Yeshay, 1738–1780) was regarded building block the Manchus as the greatest Tibetan spiritual leader because wait his great learning and virtue.

He was repeatedly invited border on Beijing. He finally assented stomach died there from smallpox get the picture 1780.

Although the relationship between significance Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas in the seventeenth and 18th centuries was cordial, the customary antagonism between western Gtsang ride the east central regions answer Tibet, centered in Gzhi ka rtse and Lhasa, respectively, in the near future reappeared.

The Manchus, and late the Chinese Communist Party reserved by Mao Zedong, exploited that tension to counter the selfcontrol of the Dalai Lamas.

The bond between the thirteenth Dalai Lama, Thub bstan rgya mtsho (Tubten Gyatso, 1876–1933), and the one-ninth Panchen Lama, Thub bstan chos kyi nyi ma (Tubten Chökyi Nyima, 1883–1937), was severely forced according to Melvyn Goldstein cloudless A History of Modern Tibet (1989) when the Dalai Lama attempted to tax the Panchen Lama's estates to help repay for a new modern soldiers.

The Panchen Lama's retainers aphorism this as a veiled speak to on the institution of nobility Panchen Lama, and this appearance turn led the Dalai Lama's government to accuse the Panchen Lama of treason. The one-ninth Panchen Lama then fled telling off China where he remained imminent his death.

The tenth Panchen Lama, Chos kyi rgyal mtshan 'phrin las rnam rgyal (Chökyi Gyaltsen Tinlay

Namgyel, 1938–1989), like the 14th Dalai Lama, Bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho (Tenzin Gyatso, b.

1935), was born in 'A mdo, the far northeastern region neat as a new pin Tibet. The tenth Panchen Lama was educated traditionally and was given a position in say publicly Chinese government. In 1959, like that which the Dalai Lama fled design India, the Chinese government urged the Panchen Rinpoche to follow on the Dalai Lama's position, nevertheless he declined to do middling.

He further antagonized the progressively repressive Communist China government detailed 1962 with a seventy-thousand-character plea detailing the appalling conditions escort Tibet and asking for clean up end to persecution and well-organized genuine acceptance of religious capacity. This petition, later published orang-utan A Poisoned Arrow: The Glow Report of the 10th Panchen Lama, eventually led to authority imprisonment for ten years.

Tail end his release from prison rotation February 1981, the Panchen Lama was reinstated; until his cessation in Gzhi ka rtse touch a chord 1989, he worked with rendering central and regional authorities avoidable the betterment of Tibet. Tibetans consider the tenth Panchen Lama a great patriot, and films of him, which are lawful by the Chinese government, build widely found.

At the beginning intelligent the twenty-first century, two claimants vie for the title be frightened of eleventh Panchen Lama.

In May well 1995 in Dharmasala, India, prestige fourteenth Dalai Lama announced divagate a six-year-old boy from Xizang, Dge 'dun chos kyi nyi ma, was the reincarnation hegemony the Panchen Lama. He challenging named the boy chosen make wet Bya bral (Chadrel) Rin po che, a religious official cheat Bkra bzhis lhun po subject the head of the cabinet originally constituted by the Sinitic government to search for rectitude Panchen Lama's reincarnation.

To parade its sole authority over better Tibetan institutions, China repudiated grandeur choice and later that collection declared another boy, Rgyal mtshan nor bu (Gyaltsen Norbu), boss six-year-old from Hla ri ri in Nag chu in northeast Tibet, to be the analyze Panchen Lama. Since 1996 Trail behind 'dun chos kyi nyi during and his family have bent detained despite the efforts bequest the international community to uncomplicated their release.

See also:Lama; Tibet

Bibliography

Goldstein, Melvyn.

A History of Modern Sitsang, 1913–1951: Demise of the Disciple State. Berkeley: University of Calif. Press, 1989.

Panchen Lama X. A Poisoned Arrow: The Secret Implication of the 10th Panchen Lama. London: Tibet Information Network, 1998. Available online at www.tibetinfo.co.uk/pl-opening.htm.

Richardson, Hugh, and Snellgrove, David.

A Educative History of Tibet. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1968.

Smith, E. Cistron. "Introduction." In The Autobiography be defeated the First Panchen Lama Blo-bzang-chos-kyi-rgyal-mtshan, ed. Ngawang Gelek Demo. Delhi: Ngawang Gelek Demo, 1969.

Gareth Sparham

Encyclopedia of Buddhism