| What has happened to the Panchen Lama?
On May 14, 1995, The Dalai Lama, recognized Gendhun Choekyi Nyima
as the
11th Panchen Lama of Tibet. This extremely important decision
by His Holiness
culminated a six year, difficult and thorough process of searching
for the
incarnation of The 10th Panchen Lama. Gendun Choekyi Nyima is
currently a ten
year-old boy from a semi-pastoralist family that, at one time,
lived in the Lhari
District in Kam, Tibet. Gendhun Choekyi Nyima is considered the
youngest
political prisoner in the world. On April 25th, 2000, Gendhun
Choekyi Nyima will
celebrate His 11th Birthday.
Apparently, on May 17, 1995 Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, His family,
and the Abbott,
Chadrel Rinpoche (Cha Tsa Chagbazeling) and His Secretary, who
both led the
search party for this incarnate were taken by the People's Republic
of China
(PRC) to Beijing. Thus, these persons are now political prisoners
of the Chinese
Government. As of today, all of these persons are still missing
and there has
been no indication that they are alive. On May 17, 2000, it will
be 5 years since
Gendhun Choekyi Nyima was illegally abducted.
Since His disappearance, The PRC has changed its' position on
the
whereabouts of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima many times. At first, The
PRC claimed
that Gendhun was with His family in their home village. In March
1996, The PRC
then reported that His Holiness The Panchen Lama was in their
custody to
protect Him from Tibetans. During the Summer of 1996, The PRC
claimed that,
as far as they knew, Gendhun Choekyi Nyima was back in the Tibetan
community. During September 1998, The PRC once again claimed
that The
Panchen Lama was in their care to protect Him from Tibetans.
In fact, on a trip to
Tibet in September 1998, Mary Robinson (High Commissioner of
Human
Rights) of the United Nations was denied access to Gendhun Choekyi
Nyima. As
of November 1999, The PRC claimed that He was still under their
protection. To
date, no one has seen The Panchen Lama.
In December 1995, The PRC illegally announced its' own Panchen
Lama,
Gyaltsen Norbu. The PRC has absolutely no authority to choose
the next
Panchen Lama. Only The Dalai Lama has the right to select The
Panchen Lama.
The PRC also has no legal justification to hold Gendhun Choekyi
Nyima, His
family, or members of the search party as hostages.
Why you should take action?
It is very critical for the survival of Tibet that the real Panchen
Lama, Gendhun
Choekyi Nyima, be released as well as others associated with
His selection. We
must all support His Holiness, The Dalai Lama's selection of
this important
spiritual leader and fight for His security. If The PRC does
not want to recognize
Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, then they should release this 10 year
boy to the
Tibetan community-in-exile, along with everyone else connected
with His
selection.
The 11th Panchen Lama must have the right to visit Tibetans-in-exile
around the
world, particularly His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. Such actions
will increase the
possibility that all Tibetans will have the opportunity to communicate
and be
blessed by this highly important spiritual leader.
Please note: As of 2005, the only part of the situation that really
has changed is
his holiness Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, will turn
16 this
April 25, 2005.
May 17, 2005 will mark the TENTH anniversary of the abduction of his
hoilness,
the Panchen Lama.
What is... Who is... The Panchen
Lama?
|
|
The Panchen Lama is the second most important figure
in Tibetan culture, religion and
politics, after His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
The title Panchen Lama originates back to the Fifth Dalai Lama who in 1642
gave the title
Panchen Lama, meaning Great Scholar, to his teacher the Abbott of Tashilhunpo
Monastery in order to consolidate Gelugpa power. Since then it has traditionally
been the
role of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama to act as the teacher of the new
incarnation.
However, the relationship between the Dalai Lama in Lhasa and the Panchen
Lama in
Tashilhunpo has not always been a smooth one. Tensions sometimes occurred
between the
two courts (the usual centre-periphery tensions) though there have been
tensions between
the Lama's themselves which the Chinese often tried to accentuate.
The relationship between the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama has been a
principle
mechanism of the invading Chinese to divide the Tibetan people and destroy
their religion
and culture.
The current dispute originates with a dispute between the Ninth Panchen
Lama and the
Thirteenth Dalai Lama who had serious disagreements resulting in the Panchen
Lama
fleeing to China. In 1933 the Thirteenth Dalai Lama died and the current
incarnation is born
in 1935. In 1937 the Ninth Panchen Lama returned to Tibet only to himself
die in Amdo on
his way home. In August 1939 the Fourteenth and current Dalai Lama was
proclaimed and
installed at his seat in Lhasa in February 1940.
Meanwhile, there was no Panchen Lama until in 1944 a possible Incarnation
was
recognised. How this possible Incarnation came to be recognised is greatly
tied in with the
Chinese political situation. In 1949 the Kuomingtang (the Chinese Nationalists
who had
been fighting a civil war with Mao's Communists) recognised this possible
Incarnation as
being the Tenth Panchen Lama in response to the closure of the Chinese
Mission in Lhasa
and on June 11th the Nationalist Government approve his selection. However,
within a
matters of weeks Amdo (western Tibet) was captured by the Communists and
with it the
Tenth Panchen Lama fell into their hands whom they would seek to use to
discredit the
authority of the Dalai Lama.
In 1949 the Communists in China came to power and the Peoples Republic
of China was
proclaimed in 1950. That same year the Chinese launched their full scale
invasion of Tibet
and quickly occupied most of Tibet. With no chance of outside assistance,
especially from
Britain or India, the Tibet Government was left with little option but
to try and compromise
with the Chinese. As part of this attempt the Dalai Lama, who having now
turned 16 and
so assumed full powers sent a delegation to Beijing to try and negotiate
a settlement. The
Tibetan delegation, however, was effectively in no position to negotiate
a settlement but
rather could only endorse a Chinese dictated 'Seventeen Point Agreement
on Measures for
the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet' which was signed on 23rd May, 1951. The
agreement
effectively ended TibetÕs independence. In addition, the Tibetan
delegates were made to
endorse the Chinese choice of the Tenth Panchen Lama.
Throughout the life of the Tenth Panchen Lama the Chinese attempted to
use him to divide
the Tibetan people from the Dalai Lama. Having been raised by the Chinese
there were
times when the Panchen Lama's loyalty to the Tibetan people and the Dalai
Lama was
under question by the Tibetan people. The question as to whether the Panchen
Lama was in
fact a tool of the Chinese took some while to become clear.
In 1959 His Holiness The Dalai Lama fled into exile in response to the
brutal Chinese
crackdown in Lhasa. The effect of this upon the relationship with the Panchen
Lama would
be great as it effectively ended any personal contact between the two.
As time moved on it became apparent to the Chinese that the Panchen Lama
was not the
puppet they had hoped he would become whilst the Tibetan people and the
Dalai Lama saw
the Panchen Lama as being a true Tibetan patriot. The Panchen Lama was
stripped of his
office and the monks at Tashilhunpo were harassed and arrested.
Indeed, the Panchen Lama became so unwieldy (for example in the 1964 Monlam
festival
he told the assembled crowd that the Dalai Lama was the true leader of
Tibet) that the
Chinese placed him in solitary confinement for 10 years leaving the outside
world no idea
whether he was alive or dead! It was not until 25th February 1978 that
the Chinese finally
released the Panchen Lama from his imprisonment.
In his first public appearance in 14 years, and on the same day that the
United States
formally recognised the People's Republic of China, the Panchen Lama called
upon the
Dalai Lama to return to Tibet proclaiming an improvement in the well being
of Tibet. The
Chinese were once more trying to use the Panchen Lama as their puppet.
The Tenth Panchen Lama died of a heart attack during a rare visit to Tibet
on 28th January
1989 at the age of 53. Writing in his autobiography the Dalai Lama said
of his death that
Tibet "had lost a true freedom fighter".
|
|
Additional Links:
Notes from Gabreal:
Please take the time to read the report written by the 10th Panchen
Lama
published here for the first time (formerly forbidden) in both English
and Chinese:
http://www.tibetinfo.net/pl-contents.htm
Also, Please be sure to visit this Canadian site:
http://www.tibet.ca/english/index.html
for current DAILY news about what is going on in Tibet, and the Free
Tibet Movements.
and these sites. Look for links to otrhers. Talk to your friends.
Do not forget about the Panchen Lama.
g.f.
http://www.tibet-society.org.uk/pcurrent.html |
|
| http://www.tibet.ca/wtnarchive/2001/5/18_5.html |
|
The Panchen Lama is considered to be an emanation of Amitabha Buddha.
Amitabha means "infinite light."
Amitabha is the Head of the Lotus family of Buddhas and He is the principal
Buddha of the Blissful Pureland of the West.
He is the embodiment of the enlightened speech of all the Buddhas.
Amitabha Buddha is very important to all Buddhists,
especially those in China, Japan, & Korea.
http://www.rangzen.org/
CO-SPONSORS
Alaska Tibet Committee
Angels Without Wings
Associazione Amicizia Svizzero Tibetana
Australia Tibet Council
Austrian Committee for Tibet
Buddhist Social Action Network
Canada Students for a Free Tibet
Canada Tibet Committee
Chushi Gungduk-Toronto Chapter
Citizens Against Communist Chinese Propaganda
Colorado Friends of Tibet
Comitê Brasileiro de Apoio ao Tibet
Comité de Soutien au Peuple Tibétain-France
Comité de Soutien au Peuple Tibétain-Suisse
Committee of 100 for Tibet
Council for World Tibet Day
Edmonton Youth For Tibet
Florida for Tibet
Formosan Association for Human Rights
France-Tibet
Free Tibet Campaign
Friends of Tibet-New Zealand
Global Peace Foundation
Human Rights Club, American School Foundation, Mexico City
Inner Mongolian People's Party
International Campaign for Tibet
International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet
International Taklamakan Uighur Human Rights Association
International Tibet Independence Movement
Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People
Ithaca Tibetan Association
Jews Against Genocide
Los Angeles Friends of Tibet
NetFriends for Tibet
Norwegian Tibet Committee
Nu Patrician Traders
Pasadena Friends of Tibet
Pittsburgh Friends of Tibet
Princeton Friends of Tibet
San Diego Friends of Tibet
Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet
SAVE TIBET
She Drup Ling, Buddhist Centre-Austria
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT)
SFT-New Zealand
SFT-Orlando
SFT-The Dwight School
SFT-University of Massachusetts, Amherst
SFT-University of Victoria
SFT-University of Washington
SFT-University of Wisconsin
Sierra Friends of Tibet
Swedish Tibet Committee
Swedish Tibet Projects
Taiwanese Collegian
The Bodhicitta Center
The Centre For World Studies
The Milarepa Fund
The PeaceWeavers
The Relief Alliance
The Sacred Order of Khepra
Tibet Committee of Fairbanks
Tibet Initiative Deutschland
Tibet Online Resource Gathering
Tibet Society of South Africa
Tibet Support Group Ireland
Tibet Support Group Netherlands
Tibetan Association of Chicago
Tibetan Association of Northern California
Tibetan Association of Washington
Tibetan Community Asistance Project
Tibetan Community Association NSW-Sydney
Tibetan Community in Switzerland
Tibetan Rights Campaign
Tibetan Women*s Association
Tibetan Women*s Association-Switzerland
Tibetan Women's Organisation in Switzerland
Tibet*s Independence Movement-Lindsay Chapter
TIBETWestMichigan
Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa Memorial Foundation
Uyghur American Association
U.S. Tibet Committee
Utah Friends of Tibet
Western Colorado Friends of Tibet |
|
|
