His Holiness the Panchen Lama

The 10th Panchen Lama
Choekyi Gyaltsen 1938-1989

Choekyi Gyaltsen, the 10th Panchen Lama was born in Amdo, Eastern Tibet, in 1938. He was recognised as the Panchen’s reincarnation by Alak Lakho Rinpoche, and in 1951 was confirmed by the 14th Dalai Lama as the 10th Panchen Rinpoche. He met the Dalai Lama in Lhasa in 1952, and then took up his seat in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse.

Whilst maintaining good relations with the Chinese, the Panchen Lama was skilful in promoting the welfare of the Tibetan people. Realising that the Communist Chinese were developing a strategy which would destroy Tibetan culture, denying their stated fundamental policies of no racial discrimination and the freedom to practice religion, he submitted a 70,000 character petition demanding that the Chinese Government investigate the policy.

The Chinese Government accused the Panchen Lama of being anti-Chinese and of counter-revolutionary activities. In 1964, at a public meeting in Lhasa, he was removed from all public positions of authority. He was openly criticised and humiliated, and later taken to China. In 1966, he was subjected to a series of ‘struggle sessions’ in the National Institute of Minorities in Beijing, and was imprisoned for nine years and eight months, being released in 1975.

In 1979, the Panchen Lama was appointed Deputy Chairman of the National Peoples Politics Consultative Committee and Deputy Chairman of the National Peoples Congress. He travelled widely in the Tibetan regions of Amdo and Kham. His message urged Tibetans to maintain good relations with the Chinese. He also strongly advised them to keep alive the spirit to, “Be a Tibetan” and “Be for the Tibetan cause”. In 1985, in the Monlam Festival after the Tibetan New Year in Lhasa, the Panchen Lama said, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama and I are spiritual friends. There are no differences between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and me. Some people are trying to create discord between us. This will not succeed.”

At Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the Panchen Lama built a memorial Stupa which he consecrated and inaugurated to replace the silver Stupas of past Panchen Lamas, destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Shortly after this ceremony, on 28th January 1989, the Panchen Lama passed away in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.

From his earliest years, the 10th Panchen Lama was brought up under the supervision of the Communist Chinese, and had little opportunity to follow the traditional education of his predecessors. However, he developed within him a strong faith in the Buddhist doctrine, and an allegiance to the Tibetan cause. Since his death, he has been remembered as one of the most misunderstood Lamas in Tibet’s history, and one of the most courageous critics of Mao’s regime.

This is one of the very few pictures of His Holiness, the 11th Panchen Lama.

His Holiness, The 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, is the second highest ranking lama after the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyasto, of Tibet. The successive Panchen lamas form a tulku reincarnation lineage which are said to be the incarnations of Amitabha Buddha. The Panchen Lama bears part of the responsibility for finding the incarnation of the Dalai Lama and vice versa. The search for the late Panchen Lama's reincarnation, or any reincarnation, is a religious matter. In the case of the Panchen Lama, the religious procedures traditionally involve a final selection process by the Dalai Lama. This has been the tradition since the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang, recognized his teacher as the Panchen (which means Great Scholar) Lama of Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shingatse.

The 10th Panchen Lama, Choekyi Gyaltsen, was a very important figure in Tibet following the 14th Dalai Lama's escape to India in 1959. He passed away in 1989. The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama on May 14, 1995. Just days after recieving his name as Panchen Lama the Chinese authorities kidnapped 6 year old Choekyi Gyaltsen and his family. He along with his family is growing up in house arrest and despite efforts of international agencies or human rights organizations, the Chinese authorities refuse to release him or release the where abouts of his imprisonment. The kidnapping was confirmed in 1996, when the Chinese government admitted to holding the boy and his family in "protective custody." To this day not one international agency or human rights organization has been allowed to meet with the Panchen Lama or any members of his family and their condition remains unknown.

Many websites have been created to bring for hope of his freedom from the Chinese Government. Many petitions have been created to increase the efforts of finding our beloved Panchen Lama.
His Holiness's Birthday is April 25th making him 17 years old in this year of 2006.