His Holiness the Dalai Lama has made numerous approaches to the Chinese government since the demise of the Panchen Lama in 1989. However, the Chinese government rejected all His Holiness' requests to send religious delegations to Tibet to assist and participate in the search for the reincarnation. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has no desire to politicize the issue of the Panchen Lama's reincarnation. In fact, the child he has recognized as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama was born and lives in Tibet. In announcing the child's name, His Holiness appealed to the Chinese government to extend its understanding, co-operation and assistance in "enabling Rinpoche to receive a proper religious training and to assume his spiritual responsibilities". His Holiness went to great lengths to be cooperative with the wish to avoid confrontation over this issue.

The Chinese statement claims "the titles of Dalai Lama and Panchen Erdini of Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism were conferred by the Central Government of the Qing Dynasty". It is clear from historical accounts that the title "Dalai Lama" was offered by the Mongol Price Altan Khan to Sonam Gyatso in 1578. Sonam Gyatso then became known as the Third Dalai Lama, while his two previous recognized incarnations came to be referred to retrospectively as the first and second Dalai Lamas.

The claim that the Qing Dynasty originally conferred the title "Panchen" is similarly untrue. The title "Panchen" came to be accorded to the abbots of Tashilhunpo Monastery in the following way. Gedun Drup, who was retrospectively recognized as the First Dalai Lama, founded Tashilhunpo Monastery in 1447. He was a religious scholar of unparalleled stature. When he met Panchen Choglay Namgyal, another erudite contemporary, Gedun Drup answered all the spiritual questions the great master put to him. Deeply impressed, Panchen Choglay Namgyal bestowed on him the title "All-knowing". Subsequently, Gedun Drup came to be known by the titles "All-knowing" and "Panchen". The word Panchen is made up of the first syllables of two words, "Pandita", a Sanskrit word meaning scholar, and "Chenpo", a Tibetan word meaning great.

Gedun Drup was the first abbot of Tashilhunpo Monastery and thirteen abbots succeeded him, prior to the enthronement of Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen. All were appointed by Tashilhunpo Monastery on the basis of their scholarship and they were all accorded the title "Panchen". However, the fifteenth abbot, Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen, assumed a position of special significance when the Fifth Dalai Lama gave Tashilhunpo Monastery to him. Since then, Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen's reincarnations have been recognized and known as Panchen Lamas. The three recognized reincarnations who had preceded Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen, but who had not belonged to Tashilhunpo Monastery, were nevertheless retrospectively accorded the title Panchen Lama. Therefore, Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen is counted as the Fourth Panchen Lama. These are some of the reasons why the Chinese claim that the Qing Dynasty originally conferred the titles "Dalai" and "Panchen" are historically and factually untenable.

In 1731 Manchu Emperor Kiang-shi offered the title Erdini to the Fifth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Yeshi. Erdini is a Mongol word meaning "Precious Jewel" and is merely a complimentary title shared with many Mongolian lamas.

The Qing or Manchu emperors revered the Dalai Lamas as their refuge and offered them every support and service in the spirit of the priest-patron relationship existing between them. In 1792, in response to the Tibetan government's request the Manchu emperor despatched a large force to help the Tibetan army repulse the Gorkha invaders. In the same year, a system was instituted for selecting the reincarnations of high lamas by the drawing of lots. An event in Mongolia over which Tibet traditionally wielded spiritual authority was the cause for the introduction of this system. On the death of the Mongol lama, Erdini Pandita Khutuktu, a dispute arose over the selection of his reincarnation. In order to avert such complications in the future, a system of drawing lots was introduced.

There is no historical evidence to suggest that the system of drawing lots was established for the express purpose of selecting the reincarnations of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama. Moreover, the Manchus (the Qing rulers of China) were a distinct Central Asian Buddhist people, an alien power occupying China. Even the Chinese themselves recognize the Manchus as an alien occupation force. In 1911, when the Nationalist Revolution toppled the Qing Dynasty of the Manchus, Dr. Sun Yat-sen said that China had been occupied twice by foreign powers: first by the Yuans and second by the Qings. Thus, Tibetans do not accept present Chinese claims allegedly inherited from the historical priest-patron relationship between Tibet and the Manchus.

The present Chinese statement claims, as the Kuomintang Government did in the past, that they played a decisive role in selecting and installing the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. In reality, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama was selected according to Tibet's age- old religious beliefs and traditions, and the Chinese government's approval was neither needed nor sought. The Tibetan National Assembly confirmed the Fourteenth Dalai Lama in 1939.

When the enthronement took place on 22nd February 1940, Wu Zhongxin, the Chinese emissary, like the envoys from Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and British India, had no special role to play. Sir Basil Gould, the British Political Officer representing British India at the ceremony, has explained that the official Chinese version of events was a fiction prepared and published even before the enthronement took place.

On 31st July 1989 Ngabo Nawang Jigme, a Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Congress, said, "Last year, at a meeting of the Institute of Tibetology, I spoke about this and my observations concerning related KMT documents. I said that we, the Communist Party, need not tell lies, based upon KMT lies. At the time, Comrade Chang Feng of the United Front Ministry said, `In future, we will not say that Wu Zhongxin officiated at the enthronement of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.'

The Chinese statement further alleges that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has disregarded "fixed historical convention, undermining religious rituals". It terms the announcement of the Panchen Lama's reincarnation as "illegal and invalid". These are politically motivated allegations having no historical and factual basis.

If the allegation means that the system of drawing lots was not applied in the case of recognizing the present reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, then it must be pointed out that only in the recognition of three of the fourteen Dalai Lamas and two of the ten Panchen Lamas has this system been used. The system of drawing lots was introduced in 1792, during the reign of the Eighth Dalai Lama. Since then there have been six successive Dalai Lamas and lots were drawn in only three cases. Similarly, this system was not applied to confirm recognition of the late Panchen Lama.

The relationship between the Dalai Lamas and the Panchen Lamas dates back to time of the Fifth Dalai Lama and his contemporary Panchen Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen, who is regarded as the Fourth Panchen Lama. Panchen Lobsang Choegyal had recognized the Fifth Dalai Lama. The Fifth Dalai Lama, in turn, recognized Panchen Lobsang Yeshi as the Fifth Panchen Lama. The Seventh Dalai Lama recognized the Sixth Panchen Lama, who in turn recognized the Eighth Dalai Lama. The Eighth Dalai Lama recognized the Seventh Panchen Lama. This is the established historical convention. The recognition of the Tenth Panchen Lama's reincarnation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is entirely in accord with this convention.

If respect for Buddhist tradition and customary methods are the criteria for the legality and validity of the search and recognition of the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, there are no grounds for opposing His Holiness the Dalai Lama's decision.

Whether His Holiness the Dalai Lama's action "will meet with strong opposition from people of the Tibetan Buddhism circles" or with great respect will only become clear if the people of Tibet are given the freedom to express their true feelings. We will not respond to statements Tibetans in Tibet are forced to make by their Chinese rulers. We are well aware of the difficulties they find themselves in. China's disregard for the Tibetan people's religious sentiments as displayed in their overbearing attitude towards recognition of the Panchen Lama's reincarnation is indicative of the true nature of their rule in Tibet. The reality today is that Tibet is an occupied country under colonial rule.

Tempa Tsering
Secretary
Department of Information & International Relations
Central Tibetan Administration
Gangchen Kyishong
Dharamsala 176 215
INDIA

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Last updated: 24-June-96