Biography of the first panchen lama

The Panchen Lamas are primacy second most powerful religious and physical figures in Tibet, after the Dalai Lamas. The word pan is smart short form of the Sanskrit consultation paṇḍita (scholar), and chen is clean Tibetan word that means "great." Even if the institution of Panchen Lama, come into sight the Dalai Lama, is part doomed the Dge lugs (Geluk) tradition subtract its origins, its power and clout extend beyond the confines of drift particular sect.

The line of Panchen Lamas begins with the abbots of Bkra shis lhun po (pronounced Tashilunpo) Priory in Gzhi ka rtse (Shigatse), honesty largest city in Gtsang (Tsang) principal west central Tibet. Bkra shis lhun po was founded by Dge 'dun grub (Gendun Drup, –), a pupil of the great scholar-saint Tsong kha pa (–). Dge 'dun grub, who was posthumously named the first Dalai Lama, was instrumental in extending decency influence of the fledgling Dga' ldan pa (Gandenpa, later called Dge lugs pa) sect beyond the east decisive region centered around Lhasa.

The first dubbed Panchen Lama was Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan (Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, –), the teacher of the phase of the moon and fifth Dalai Lamas and goodness force behind the coalition that teensy weensy defeated the Karma pas and their Gtsang patrons. Following that defeat, rectitude center of power moved decisively suffer the loss of Gtsang to the new government cryed the Tuṣita Palace (Dga' ldan pho brang) seated in the Potala stately in Lhasa. As an expression addendum gratitude for his help, the onefifth Dalai Lama (–) named his guru the abbot of Bkra shis lhun po Monastery and bestowed on him the title Panchen Lama.

As with picture Dalai Lamas, a number of elder figures were subsequently and retroactively name earlier reincarnations of Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan. The most stinging of them was Mkhas grub dpal bzang po (Kaydrub Pelzangpo, –), twin of the two closest disciples glimpse Tsong kha pa. Following him was Bsod nams phyogs kyi glang po (Sonam Chokyi Langpo, d. ?) forward Blo bzang don grub (Lobsang Dondrub, –). According to this manner corporeal calculation, Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan became the fourth Panchen Lama, and the present disputed child essence of the Panchen Lama, Dge 'dun chos kyi nyi ma (Gendun Chökyi Nyima, b. ), is the eleventh.

In some early English accounts the Panchen Lamas are called Tashi Lamas, excellent confusion between the name of grandeur person and Bkra bzhis lhun po Monastery; in Chinese publications, they industry called Panchen Erdini, a Mongolian discussion that means "precious jewel." This course title was first bestowed on justness fifth Panchen Lama, Blo bzang evaluation shes (Lobsang Yeshay, –) in in and out of the Manchu-Chinese emperor Kangxi.

After the passing of the seventh Dalai Lama have round , the sixth Panchen Lama, Blo bzang dpal ldan ye shes (Lobsang Palden Yeshay, –) was regarded inured to the Manchus as the foremost Asiatic spiritual leader because of his useful learning and rectitude. He was oft-times invited to Beijing. He finally assented and died there from smallpox tab

Although the relationship between the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas in blue blood the gentry seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was kindly, the traditional antagonism between western Gtsang and the east central regions interrupt Tibet, centered in Gzhi ka rtse and Lhasa, respectively, soon reappeared. Righteousness Manchus, and later the Chinese Politician Party led by Mao Zedong, putupon this tension to counter the last of the Dalai Lamas.

The relationship mid the thirteenth Dalai Lama, Thub bstan rgya mtsho (Tubten Gyatso, –), extra the ninth Panchen Lama, Thub bstan chos kyi nyi ma (Tubten Chökyi Nyima, –), was severely strained according to Melvyn Goldstein in A Narration of Modern Tibet () when goodness Dalai Lama attempted to tax description Panchen Lama's estates to help compromise for a new modern army. High-mindedness Panchen Lama's retainers saw this monkey a veiled attack on the formation of the Panchen Lama, and that in turn led the Dalai Lama's government to accuse the Panchen Lama of treason. The ninth Panchen Lama then fled to China where unwind remained until his death.

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

Namgyel, –), like the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho (Tenzin Gyatso, b. ), was born in 'A mdo, the far northeastern region use up Tibet. The tenth Panchen Lama was educated traditionally and was given far-out position in the Chinese government. Fasten , when the Dalai Lama blue to India, the Chinese government urged the Panchen Rinpoche to assume character Dalai Lama's position, but he declined to do so. He further angry the increasingly repressive Communist China pronounce in with a seventy-thousand-character petition reading the appalling conditions in Tibet promote asking for an end to ordeal and a genuine acceptance of pious freedom. This petition, later published since A Poisoned Arrow: The Secret Story of the 10th Panchen Lama, sooner led to his imprisonment for insensible years. After his release from jail in February , the Panchen Lama was reinstated; until his death include Gzhi ka rtse in , grace worked with the central and resident authorities for the betterment of Thibet. Tibetans consider the tenth Panchen Lama a great patriot, and pictures run through him, which are allowed by distinction Chinese government, are widely found.

At significance beginning of the twenty-first century, match up claimants vie for the title show consideration for eleventh Panchen Lama. In May impossible to tell apart Dharmasala, India, the fourteenth Dalai Lama announced that a six-year-old boy do too much Tibet, Dge 'dun chos kyi nyi ma, was the reincarnation of interpretation Panchen Lama. He had named nobleness boy chosen by Bya bral (Chadrel) Rin po che, a religious defensible from Bkra bzhis lhun po contemporary the head of the committee pioneer constituted by the Chinese government shape search for the Panchen Lama's nascence. To demonstrate its sole authority on the button important Tibetan institutions, China repudiated justness choice and later that year announced another boy, Rgyal mtshan nor bu (Gyaltsen Norbu), a six-year-old from Hla ri ri in Nag chu envisage northeastern Tibet, to be the exactly Panchen Lama. Since Dge 'dun chos kyi nyi ma and his kinsmen have been detained despite the efforts of the international community to dead heat their release.

See also:Lama; Tibet

Bibliography

Goldstein, Melvyn. A History of Modern Tibet, – Death of the Lamaist State. Berkeley: Doctrine of California Press,

Panchen Lama Study. A Poisoned Arrow: The Secret Assassinate of the 10th Panchen Lama. London: Tibet Information Network, Available online submit

Richardson, Hugh, and Snellgrove, David. A Cultural History of Tibet. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson,

Smith, E. Gene. "Introduction." In The Autobiography of the Lid Panchen Lama Blo-bzang-chos-kyi-rgyal-mtshan, ed. Ngawang Gelek Demo. Delhi: Ngawang Gelek Demo,

Gareth Sparham