Panchen Lama
Paṇchen Lama [alt. Panchen Lama] (T. paN chen bla ma པཎ་ཆེན་བླ་མ་) is the title given to members of an incarnation lineage in Tibetan Buddhism. Together with the Dalai Lamas, the Panchen Lamas are the most important incarnation lineage within the Gelugpa school.
- The Paṇchen Lama incarnation line began in the seventeenth century when Chokyi Gyeltsen, the sixteenth abbot of Tashilhunpo Monastery, was given the title by the Fifth Dalai Lama, who declared him an emanation of Amitābha. The Geluk scholar Tukwan Lobzang Chokyi Nyima's Crystal Mirror identifies numerous pre-incarnations including Padmasambhava, Atiśa, Gampopa, Go Khukpa Lhetse, Sakya Paṇḍita, and Yungton Dorje Pel.[1]
Traditionally the Dalai Lamas are involved in the recognition and training of the Panchen Lamas, and the Panchen Lamas play a significant role in the recognition and training of the Dalai Lamas.
The 11th Panchen Lama (Gedhun Choekyi Nyima) was recognized by 14th Dalai Lama on May 14, 1995. A few days later, the Panchen Lama was forcibly disappeared by the Chinese government, and he has not been seen in public since then. The Chinese government installed their own candidate (Gyaincain Norbu) as their "official" Panchen Lama. The Chinese government candidate is not recognized by the Tibetan exile community.
The term panchen is a abbreviation for pandita chenpo, meaning "great scholar." Pandita means "scholar" in Sanskrit; and chenpo means "great" in Tibetan.
See also
Notes
- ↑
Panchen Lama, Treasury of Lives
External links
- Panchen Lama, Treasury of Lives
Panchen Lama, Wikipedia
Incarnation Lineage: Panchen Lama Main Page, Himalayan Art Resources
