China’s Panchen Lama and Xi’s sinister plan to tamper with Dalai Lama’s succession

The Panchen Lama's now-cancelled Nepal visit shows that Beijing was keen to get Kathmandu’s seal of approval on its selection of the 11th Panchen Lama to prepare for the ‘return’ of the 15th Dalai Lama, but things are never simple in Tibetan Buddhism

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A day after Gyaltsen Norbu, the China-selected Panchen Lama’s visit to Nepal was cancelled, CGTN , an official channel of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), released an article in English, “Regulating Tibetan Buddhism Reincarnation Under the Rule of Law”. It asserted: “China introduced the Measures on the Management of Tulku Reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhism in 2007, its first regulation on reincarnation affairs. The measures stipulate that the reincarnation process must not be interfered with or controlled by foreign organisations or individuals, and no group or individual is allowed to unilaterally search for or recognise reincarnations.

” It shows what the real stakes were for Gyaltsen Norbu’s trip to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha Gautama. During the preceding weeks, speculations loomed large over the Lama’s visit to the pilgrimage city in Nepal near India’s border. As late as December 12, The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong affirmed: “Panchen Lama to make rare visit to Nepal after Tibet trip .



..The trip, which has not been confirmed by Beijing or Kathmandu, comes months before the Dalai Lama is expected to unveil a succession plan.

” The article continued: “It follows a visit to China last week by Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, when he told Chinese Premier Li Qiang that Kathmandu regards Tibet and Taiwan as inalienable parts of China and that Tibet-related affairs are China’s internal affairs.” Nepal was to be Gyaltsen Norbu’s second foreign trip abroad after a visit to Thailand in 2019. Eventually, Nepal shot down the Lama’s visit.

Kathmandu told the Chinese Embassy that the Lama would not be allowed to visit due to Nepal’s neutrality on religious matters. But the issue is not simple This issue is part of the struggle to control the next Dalai Lama, as the Panchen Lama plays an important role in Tibetan Buddhism, especially for the Gelukpa, or Yellow Sect, which considers him as the second in the hierarchy after the Dalai Lama. In the past, the Panchen Lamas have often recognised the new Dalai Lamas.

After the death of the 10th Panchen Lama in 1989, in the town of Shigatse, where the Tashilhunpo, the Panchen Lama’s monastery, stands, a dispute erupted between the Dalai Lama’s office in Dharamsala and the Chinese government about the true incarnation of the Panchen Lama. Of course, the Chinese government (run by the Communist Party) normally had no say in the matter. As the result of the dispute, since 1995, there have been two Panchen Lamas: Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognised by the 14th Dalai Lama and the majority of Tibetans, has been missing since 1995 after being taken into custody by Chinese authorities.

He remains under arrest (if still alive) for the past 29 years. The second is Gyaltsen Norbu, selected by the Chinese government in 1995 but seen by the Tibetans as a political tool of Beijing, rather than a legitimate spiritual leader. An activist group, Tibetan Rights Collective (TRC), analysed: “Nepal’s refusal to host Gyaltsen Norbu could be interpreted as an implicit acknowledgement of the contentious legitimacy of his claim as the Panchen Lama.

By taking this stance, Nepal may be signalling its reluctance to endorse China’s religious appointments.” The Tenth Panchen Lama Chökyi Gyaltsen, the 10th Panchen Lama, was born in Xining, at the border between Tibet and China, in 1938; in the following years he was imposed by Beijing as the true Panchen Lama. A Tibetan candidate sponsored by Lhasa was rejected by the Communist leadership.

During the following years, Chökyi was a loudspeaker for Beijing’s propaganda. Similar to Gyaltsen Norbu today, Chökyi Gyaltsen was often called ‘fake’ by the Tibetans, but he eventually grew into a great patriot. In 1962, he had the courage to write a 70,000-character petition (dubbed by Mao as a “poisonous arrow”), in which he listed numerous problems on the plateau.

It was addressed to Zhou Enlai, who requested Xi Zhongxun (Xi Jinping’s father) to study the letter and prepare an answer. China’s domestic situation was then very unstable; the power struggle within the Party was at its peak (Xi Zhongxun would be purged in July 1962). The Panchen Lama ended up spending 17 years in confinement; he had gone ‘too far’ for the communist leadership.

However, it means that even ‘fake’ lamas or stooges can change into great Tibetan patriots. How the next Dalai Lama may be selected by China The selection of the reincarnation of the 11th Panchen Lama is worth having a look at: Soon after Chökyi Gyaltsen passed away, under mysterious circumstances while on a visit to Tibet in 1989, the Chinese government formed a ‘search team’ under Gyayak Rinpoche, the Panchen Lama’s dharma teacher. Chadrel Rinpoche, abbot of the Panchen Lama’s Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, and Arjia Rinpoche, another high lama, were to assist the old Lama.

After the death of the former, Chadrel took over the search. Arjia remembers: “The Chinese government trusted Chadrel Rinpoche to do their bidding..

. asking only that he report frequently to the central government on his progress.” Chadrel Rinpoche considered that it was Tashi Lhunpo monastery’s responsibility to discover the newly born Lama, but as Arjia says: “The Tibetans clearly wanted the 14th Dalai Lama to be the final arbiter of the identity of the true reincarnation of the Panchen Lama.

” When Beijing discovered that Chadrel had been communicating with the Dalai Lama, everything changed. Ying Kesheng, the Party Secretary of Qinghai Province, called a meeting and enumerated three points dictated by Beijing: “eliminating from contention the boy selected by the Dalai Lama (Gedun Choekyi Nyima, who, since then, has been under house arrest); denouncing and removing Chadrel Rinpoche from his official position on the search team; and mandating a Golden Urn Ceremony. Three names were put in a Golden Urn in the Jokhang Cathedral in Lhasa, and the Governor of Tibet, called Gyaltsen Norbu, selected a candidate called Gyaltsen Norbu: “Gyaltsen Norbu chose Gyaltsen Norbu,” a joke later circulated.

But the trick was simple; the capsule in which the chosen boy’s name was written was much larger than the two others. The Communist credential of Norbu’s family had been checked by the Party before the function; he was the perfect candidate. There is no doubt that a similar process will be followed for the 15th Dalai Lama if the present leader does not take the initiative and announce the details of his return (in 2011, he said that he would do this when he is 90 years old, i.

e., July 2025). In these circumstances, one understands that Beijing was keen to get Nepal’s seal of approval on its selection of the 11th Panchen Lama (to prepare for the ‘return’ of the 15th Dalai Lama).

Already, the government in Kathmandu has accepted to change the name of ‘Tibet’ into ‘Xizang’, the name given to their restive province by Xi Jinping’s regime. But it was too big a bite for Oli’s government, despite the new honeymoon following the Nepalese Prime Minister’s visit to China. Thankfully, permission was refused to Gyaltsen Norbu to proceed to Lumbini.

Not so Docile But things are never simple in Tibetan Buddhism. One important factor is that Gyaltsen Norbu has a highly respected teacher, Geshe Jamyang Gyatso, from Labrang Tashikyil monastery in Amdo, who acts as his tutor. This plays a crucial role in his education while moulding his worldviews.

Another serious question is: Will Gyaltsen Norbu remain docile, as Beijing would like him to, or will he follow the footsteps of his predecessor? On June 10, 2015, Xinhua had announced that President Xi Jinping ‘accepted an audience’ with Gyaltsen Norbu at Zhongnanhai in Beijing. The term ‘accepting an audience’ was a euphemism to say the least, because the ‘audience’ seemed more like a summon-cum-lecture. The meeting was ‘very appropriate’ , says Xinhua , because it showed that the Party “has consistently given a high level of attention to Tibet”.

It also indicated “the great importance that the Central Committee attaches to religious work”. Apart from Xi, three other members of the Politburo were in attendance: Yu Zhengsheng of the Standing Committee, Sun Chunlan, the UFW head, and Li Zhanshu, director of the General Office of the Party. Why such a rare lineup? Apparently Gyaltsen Norbu needed to be ‘briefed’ on how to be a good Communist.

Another telling sign: on February 10, 2024, Gyaltsen Norbu gave a message in English on the occasion of the Tibetan New Year (Losar). It lasted a few minutes, but what was surprising is that during the entire speech he never uttered a word of praise for Xi Jinping. Of course, during other speeches he often eulogises the policies of the Party and the importance for his countrymen to follow them.

But it is far from sure that he is fully a puppet of the regime. In India, it is worth watching these developments as the Indian Himalayan populations are very much concerned by the future of the Dalai Lama lineage. The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi).

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views..