On January 28, 1989, the 10th Panchen Lama (strangely) passed away at the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse. On May 14, 1995, His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama. However, three days later, six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, along with his family, was secretly abducted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
Ye Xiaowen, then head of the CCP’s Religious Affairs Bureau, once told Agya Rinpoche that, after the Dalai Lama announced the spirit child, the situation was really tense. They acted immediately, borrowed three airplanes from the Politburo Standing Committee, and hid the three spirit children in three separate locations, without anyone knowing.
The CCP indeed concealed their whereabouts very effectively so that no one would find them. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has been missing since May 17, 1995, for 29 years now, and his fate remains a mystery. This year 2024, April 25 marked Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s 35th birthday.
Despite continuous international pressure to disclose the whereabouts of the Panchen Lama, the CCP maintains its stance, insisting that the so-called “reincarnated Panchen Lama” is simply an ordinary Chinese citizen leading a normal life. They claim that he and his family do not wish to be disturbed by the outside world.
One might wonder, what kind of “ordinary citizen” requires the entire might of a country to shield them from any outside interference? Not only have they been shielded, but all traces of his family, including his parents, have vanished without a trace, to such an extent that it sends chills down one’s spine!
The Origins of the Reincarnation System of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.
65 years ago, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959. But why, in 1995, did the Dalai Lama in India endorse the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama? To understand this, we must delve into the origins of the reincarnation system between the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.
In the 14th century A.D., Gendun Chupa, the first Dalai Lama and a disciple of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa school, established the Tashilhunpo Monastery. Through scholarly debates, he defeated the foreigners who challenged him from India and thus, earned the title “Panchen Dakshinpo,” meaning the Great Wise One, abbreviated as the Panchen Lama. This marked the origin of the title “Panchen.” Gendun Chupa served as the first Dharam seat of Tashilhunpo Monastery, and “Panchen” became an exclusive title for the abbots of the monastery. After several successions, in the early 17th century, Lobsang Choegyal, a monk from Wensa Monastery, became the Zashlun Monastery Panchen.
In 1642, the Fifth Dalai Lama established the Gandenphodang regime, and the Dalai Lama system, rooted in the Gelugpa school, became the paramount authority in Tibetan politics and religion. Lobsang Chökyi, a revered teacher of the Fifth Dalai Lama, traced his lineage back to Khedrup Györgyi, another disciple of Tsongkhapa. Consequently, “Panchen” became an exclusive title for the abbots of Tashilhunpo Monastery, and the monastery became the permanent seat of the Panchen Lama.
Henceforth, the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama were referred to as “Gyawa Yabsai,” which translates to “King of Buddha Teacher and Disciple.” Tibetans often say, “the sky has the sun and the moon, the earth has the Buddha king, master, and disciple.”
According to the highest reincarnation tradition of the Tsongkhapa Gelugpa Dharma lineage, when either the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama passes away, a search is conducted for the reincarnation of the deceased. If the living person is too young, or both the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama have passed away, the responsibility of finding the reincarnation falls upon the highest-ranking living monks. This custom has been established over a long history but was not always a requirement.
For instance, when the 14th Dalai Lama recognized a Lama from Sera Monastery as his reincarnation, the search group confirmed his identity immediately, without additional procedures. Similarly, after the passing of the Ninth Panchen Lama in 1937, the Kashag (Cabinet) and Dzong Rinpoche issued an order to find the reincarnation of the Tenth Panchen Lama through divination.
From a secular perspective, the Panchen Lama system is an extension of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation system. Without the Dalai Lama’s position as the leader of Tibetan politics and religion, the Panchen Lama system would not have evolved.
The Chinese Communist Party abolishes the Dalai Lama’s certified spiritual child and decides to draw lots from a golden bottle.
The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) reacted strongly to the Dalai Lama’s certification of the Panchen Lama’s reincarnation. They announced the abolition of this certification and decided to select a Panchen Lama who met their criteria by drawing lots from a golden vase.
On November 29, 1995, the CCP conducted a “golden vase lottery” at Dazhao Monastery in Lhasa, selecting Panchen Norbu. Both of Khensen Norbu’s parents were members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which prohibits its members and their families from practicing religion. However, the Khensen Norbu family enjoyed certain privileges.
The CCP was well aware that finding the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama would likely involve cooperation with the Dalai Lama. During a meeting of the panel responsible for selecting the reincarnated Panchen Lama, Yan Mingfu, then head of the Central United Front Work Department, and Luo Gan, Secretary General of the State Council, expressed their willingness to “communicate with the Dalai Lama” and even “adopt the Dalai Lama’s views.”
Gyalwa Dhondup, the Dalai Lama’s second brother, wrote in his memoir “The Maker of the Kalundu” that Deng Xiaoping wanted the Dalai Lama to personally preside over the Panchen Lama’s farewell ceremony after his passing. The authorities may have wanted to emphasize this point to increase the legitimacy of the Panchen’s reincarnation.
According to Gyalwa Dhondup, during his visit to Beijing in 1994, a representative of the Panchen Lama’s search team visited him, asking him to deliver a gift from the Dalai Lama and a letter from Chaza Rinpoche.
Why then did the CCP react so strongly when the Dalai Lama announced the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama? The atheist CCP, involved in Tibetan religious affairs, not only claimed the authority over reincarnation, which is traditionally outside its jurisdiction, but also detained Chagzar Rinpoche, who was originally appointed by the authorities as the deputy head of the Panchen Reincarnation Search Leading Group.
The CCP’s sudden change in attitude can be best understood through Jiang Zemin, the then president of the CCP, who issued the directive that led to the “golden vase lottery” maneuver.
The Tibetan monk who was [exasperated] by the golden vase stick-withdrawal – Agya Rinpoche
In 1998, Agya Rinpoche, departed from the United States. In his autobiography, “Against All Odds,” Rinpoche reveals that the Golden Bottle Lottery held at the Dazhao Monastery in Lhasa during the night of 1995 was the final catalyst for his departure.
Who is Agya Lobsang Tubdan Rinpoche? He was recognized at the age of two by the 10th Panchen Lama as the 8th Agya Rinpoche, was one of the abbots of Kubum Monastery. Kubum Monastery, the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa school, holds a significant place in Tibetan Buddhism. Aga Rinpoche is considered the reincarnation of Tsongkhapa’s father, which bestows upon him a highly revered status.
Before his departure in 1998, the CCP appointed Rinpoche as the president of the China Buddhist Association and a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Rinpoche was also the sutra teacher of the Panchen Gyaltsen Norbu, originally favored by the CCP. Ngagyar Rinpoche had personally witnessed the CCP’s manipulation of the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama.
In “Against the Wind and the Water,” Agya Rinpoche writes, “I was not surprised that the Dalai Lama announced the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Master; it was the attitude from above that surprised me.”
In 1992, there was full cooperation between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Communist Party. On September 27 of that year, two months after the Dalai Lama’s announcement of the 17th Karmapa, the Chinese government recognized Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the reincarnation of the Karmapa. This led Tibetans to anticipate that the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama would follow a similar authentication process, fostering good cooperation between the CCP and the Dalai Lama.
On November 28, 1995, Agya Rinpoche and others were transported to Lhasa by a special CCP plane. On the night of the 29th, at around 2:00 a.m., the Golden Vase Lottery was held at the Da Zhao Monastery amidst a heavy military and police presence. The entire city of Lhasa was under a state of near-martial law. Agya Rinpoche exclaimed, “If the Golden Vase ceremony is so grand, why is there such a politically charged atmosphere?”
Rinpoche observed the entire process of the Golden Vase lottery at the Da Zhao Monastery and later wrote in his autobiography, “I expected the person to shake the vase until a sign emerged, but to my surprise, he merely touched the three signs briefly. Then, he selected one and handed it to the Central Special Envoy, Luo Gan, who nodded in approval. The Bohol Living Buddha then handed the sign to Jiangchun Lobu, who loudly declared Kyanzan Norbu of Gyari County as the winner.”
Jiangcun Luobu announced that “Gyentse Norbu won the lottery.” The names Jiangcun Luobu and Gyentse Norbu are written the same way in Tibetan, which later became a topic of conversation among Tibetans, teasing the Chinese Communist Party for the apparent manipulation of the Panchen Lama reincarnation.
During the plane ride back to Beijing, Ye Xiaowen, then director of the CCP’s Religious Affairs Bureau, candidly informed Agya Rinpoche and Jamyang Rinpoche, “It’s just a formality. We filled it with a bit of cotton. Did you notice the signboard was slightly raised? We placed some cotton in the signboard bag to ensure it was slightly higher in the bottle, thus ensuring the chosen spiritual child would be the one we wanted.”
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses the golden vase as a tool to manipulate the reincarnation of Tibetan monks.
Following the establishment of the Ganden Phojang regime in Tibet in 1642 and the Manchu Qing Empire in 1644, a relationship between the two sides was established. As a patron of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, in 1792, the Qianlong Emperor, suspecting misuse of the Tibetan reincarnation certification system for personal gain, sent a golden vase to be used in drawing lots for certifying the reincarnation of senior monks.
In China, drawing lots from a golden vase is equivalent to divination in monasteries and Taoist temples. In Tibet, a similar form of divination, dowsing, was originally practiced. The candidate’s name is written on a slip of paper, wrapped in dough, and placed in a vessel. The vessel is then shaken to make the dough jump out, revealing the chosen individual. Thus, for Tibetans, the golden vase is not an exotic system but a substitute tool for traditional divination practices, catering to Tibetan culture and aesthetics.
Tibetan Buddhism recognizes the reincarnation of monks through various methods. The first is the reincarnation of the undead, where monks directly identify their reincarnation. The second is the reincarnation of a child with deep memories of their previous life, such as the Second and Fourteenth Dalai Lamas. The Fourteenth Dalai Lama recognized the lamas of Sera Monastery who came to find him, and the Dharma vessels of his previous life before being certified. The search party confirmed his identity as the Dalai Lama without further procedures. The third type involves a child leaving a prophecy or will in their previous life, as seen in the Karmapa reincarnation system. The fourth type occurs when a child lacks memories or a prophecy from their previous life. Tibetan monks and Dharma protectors divine to identify the reincarnated child. Other forms of divination, such as using three oranges, as done by the 13th Dalai Lama to find the 9th Panchen Lama, have also been practiced. Therefore, the golden vase divination, as a substitute for traditional divination, is considered the least preferred option and is not mandatory.
In the case of CCP authorities, they tamper with the process by placing cotton in the bag, ensuring that the sign they want to choose is slightly higher in the bottle. Instead of allowing the sign to jump out naturally, they directly select the pre-determined sign from the golden vase. Learning from the feudal empire’s practices, CCP officials use the so-called “golden vase” to assert control over the reincarnation system of Tibetan Buddhist monks, satisfying their desire for power and emulating imperial practices.
In 2007, the CCP government introduced the “Methods for Managing the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism” claiming complete authority over reincarnation. According to this policy, without the Communist Party, there would be no recognition of reincarnated lamas. Only those approved and permitted by the CCP can be reincarnated, while dissenters are denied reincarnation. The Party asserts its supremacy over religion, allowing only those who pledge allegiance to the Party to have any freedom, while those who resist are suppressed.
For Tibetans, finding the reincarnation of a high lama is a significant endeavor, requiring the identification of a genuine reincarnated child, which is no small task. However, for CCP officials, a reincarnated child is merely a child, and any child will suffice. The CCP seeks a puppet Panchen Lama that it can manipulate, hence the selection of Khensang Norbu, whose parents are both members of the CCP, making him easier for the authorities to control.
In recent years, the CCP has organized the “Tibetan Buddhism Living Buddha Reincarnation Exhibition” in Tibet and conducted tens of thousands of lectures in Tibetan communities, colleges, and monasteries. These events assert the CCP’s authority over reincarnation, promoting the “golden vase sign” as the most authoritative method. The CCP has also implemented the “Ten Prohibitions” in Tibet, explicitly stating its refusal to allow any unauthorized activities related to the death of the Dalai Lama. It is evident that the CCP has made extensive preparations.
By trampling on Tibetan religious traditions and defying the international community, the CCP has manipulated the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, using Gyentse Norbu as a political tool to indoctrinate Tibetans. The question of whether the authorities can continue to manipulate the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama to achieve their goal of completely eradicating Tibetan culture, and how to prevent such a plot, has become the most pressing challenge of our time.
PS: This is a roughly translated version of an article originally written in Chinese by the author -Phenthok. For any unclarity with the translation, please refer to the original article(link below) written in Chinese and published by Beijing Spring.
http://beijingspring.com/bj2/2010/320/425202450929.htm?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0J3641736Q3t7KSYNEM3c8W2o1xlH2tdkVdHHhEqu2vJW9aQ7HsF2ldTI_aem_AcfXIxSjYdlpx752zhYbKDvo-6W7oDIEX8YLVcJKzwrzxTbrII85QThsvP0Dgvtd7m3oOvzzVB4siKKdWOp2cwiQ