Current Panchen Lama

The 11th Panchen Lama controversy is a dispute about the current legitimate holder of the Panchen Lama title, a political and religious leadership position in Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. After the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, a dispute between the Chinese leadership and the exiled 14th Dalai Lama resulted in two competing candidates. The search committee process involving monks in Tibet under the strict supervision of the Chinese communist regime was disrupted when the Dalai Lama, according to the Tibetan tradition, unilaterally announced his selection of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. The leadership in China spirited Nyima away to prevent his being taken to India by the Dalai Lama's supporters and reverted to the Qing Dynasty's Golden Urn process to select Gyaincain Norbu, who currently fulfills the duties of the Panchen Lama in China.

Four days before the his death, the 10th Panchen Lama made his own will publicly to follow the tradition. On January 24, following the opening ceremony of the Ling Pagoda, with religious figures in Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and autonomous regions, the 10th Penchen Lama held a special talk on the reincarnation of the Living Buddha, proposed that "the three candidate boys should be identified first and then investigated one by one" and "I would like to take the lead by drawing lots of Golden Urn before the image of Sakyamuni."

Three days after the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, based on the feedback gathered from the committee of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, monks, and the tradition, decision was made on how the 11th Panchen Lama would be selected, and published by the Premier of the State Council on January 30th 1989.

Five years after the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, ordinarily, the 11th Panchen Lama would have already been identified. The Nechung Oracle in Dharamsala had been consulted on the matter.

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Wikipedia