Published by World Tibet Network News - Thursday - December 21, 1995

BBC SWB 20 Dec 1995

Source: `Xizang Ribao', Lhasa, in Chinese 30 Nov 95

The Chinese regional newspaper from Tibet `Xizang Ribao' has published an

editorial which set out the steps by which the search for the reincarnation

of the Panchen Lama was conducted. It criticizes the Dalai Lama for

negating the "supreme authority" of the central government. The following

is the text of the editorial entitled " Warmly greet the complete success

of the grand Buddhist event of the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama"

:

Presided over by the representative of the State Council and the special

commissioner of the central authority, a ceremony to confirm the soul boy

as the reincarnated 10th Panchen Lama by drawing lots from a golden urn,

which has attracted worldwide attention, was held on 29th November. After

examination by the representative of the State Council and special

commissioner of the central authority, together with high priests, they

confirmed the true reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama and solemnly

announced that Gyaincain Norbu from Jiali County was the one selected. The

soul boy as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama was thus confirmed

at that time. The entire ceremony was held strictly in accordance with

religious rituals of Tibetan Buddhism and historical custom. The ceremony

was held in a true, solemn, strict, impartial and convincing manner. A

ceremony to confer the title of the 11th Panchen Erdeni [Bainqen Erdini] on

the soul boy was held on the afternoon of that day. The representative of

the State Council solemnly read the State Council's written approval to

confirm Gyaincain Norbu as the 11th Panchen Erdeni. The fervent desire of

the broad masses of monks and people in Tibet has thus been realized. Here

we wish to solemnly congratulate the complete success of the ceremony to

confirm the soul boy as the reincarnated 10th Panchen Lama and the ceremony

to confer the title of the 11th Panchen Erdeni!

The 10th Panchen Lama was a great patriot, noted statesman, faithful friend

of the CCP and outstanding leader of China's Tibetan Buddhism. Throughout

his life he was open and aboveboard, and struggled hard for national unity,

the happiness of the people, the prosperity of Tibet, the thriving of

Buddhism and peace in the world. He made the following pledge: "If I cannot

accomplish my goals, I will try again through reincarnation." Therefore,

when he passed away, the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama became a

great thing not only for Tibetan Buddhism, but also for the people of the

entire country, including people of various nationalities in Tibet. During

the more than 2,000 days and nights it took to search and confirm the

reincarnated soul boy, the Party Central Committee and the State Council

showed great concern for and support to the work. The work received great

concern and support from people of the whole country, especially Qinghai,

Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan where there are residents of Tibetan nationality,

and also received great assistance from the Buddhist Association of China,

the high priests of Tibetan Buddhist circles and many lamaseries. The Zhaxi

Lhunbo [Tashilhunpo] Lamasery, being the residence of the Panchen Lama,

worked hard and did a lot of fruitful work in the search for the

reincarnated soul boy. Here, we wish to express our wholehearted gratitude

to people of various nationalities who have supported the searching and

confirming of the reincarnated soul boy! We wish to express our heartfelt

thanks to leaders at various levels, high priests, lamas and people who

have done hard work for this task!

Recalling the work of searching for and confirming the reincarnated soul

boy for Panchen Lama, we can see that it has always been with the vigorous

support and correct guidance of the party and government . On 28th January

1989, the Panchen Lama passed away. The State Council made a three-point

decision on 30th January of the same year, namely rebuilding the soul tower

for the Panchen Lama, the protection of the remains of the Panchen Lama,

and the searching for and confirmation of the reincarnated soul boy for

Panchen Lama. The State Council appropriated a special fund of 77.41m yuan

for the implementation of the three-point decision, of which 6m yuan were

for the search for the reincarnated soul boy. In 1989, the State Council

made formal written comments on the "request for searching for a

reincarnated soul boy for the 10th Panchen Erdeni Qoigyi Gyaincain"

submitted to the State Council by the Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery through the

regional people's government. The State Council approved the formation of a

leading group for the search for a reincarnated soul boy composed of Jiaya

Living Buddha, living Buddhas and principal members of the administrative

committee for the Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery, high priests and other noted

living Buddhas in Tibet. An advisory group was also established with

members including President of the Buddhist Association of China Zhao

Puchu, Vice-President of the Buddhist Association of China and Honorary

President of the Tibetan Buddhist Association Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai and

other high priests of Tibetan Buddhism. The Party Central Committee and the

State Council repeatedly inquired about the work of searching for a

reincarnated soul boy for the Panchen Lama and gave many important

instructions. Under the concern and support of the central authority, three

special meetings on the work of searching for a reincarnated soul boy were

held to clearly set principles and policies for the searching work. The

regional party committee, the regional people's government, the Xigaze

Prefectural Party Committee and the Xigaze Prefectural Administration have

considered the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama as a great event and

provided effective facilities and support to the work, and helped the Zhaxi

Lhunbo Lamasery solve problems and specific difficulties in the searching

work. All units firmly eliminated various inferences and thus guaranteed

that the work of searching for the reincarnated Panchen Lama would proceed

along the right track.

Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery, which was responsible for locating the soul boy as

the Panchen's reincarnation, held a large number of Buddhist activities on

the basis of the principles determined by the central authorities, and in

strict accordance with religious rites and the established historical

system. Such procedures as chanting Buddhist scriptures, saying prayers,

observing the reflections in a holy lake, practising divination by

astrology and paying secret visits to boys reported to have shown signs of

reincarnation and asking them to distinguish things left behind by the

deceased Panchen Lama were all conducted in strict accordance with

religious rites. Monks and lamas in scores of major lamaseries and

monasteries in Tibet, as well as in the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu,

Sichuan and Yunnan chanted Buddhist scriptures to pray for the birth of the

boy with Panchen's reincarnation at an early date. Some of them chanted

scriptures up to as many as five million times. The group responsible for

locating the soul boy as the Panchen's reincarnation at Zhaxi Lhunbo

Lamasery dispatched three teams. After searching hard for more than a year,

they found 28 boys showing signs of reincarnation from among 46 counties in

the abovementioned five provinces and region. After conscientiously

conducting study, analysis, repeated comparison and screening, they finally

chose three boys and reported their findings to the central authorities for

approval to participate in lot-drawing from a golden urn.

The reason why the work to locate the soul boy as the Panchen's

reincarnation conducted in accordance with the principle determined by the

central authorities, religious rites and established historical system was

hindered and postponed is that it was obstructed and disrupted by the Dalai

splittist clique. There is no other reason. When the ceremony of drawing

lots from a golden urn was about to be held to confirm the soul boy as the

Panchen's reincarnation, a crucial moment in the process of the location

work, the Dalai arbitrarily made an announcement outside our territory that

a boy he had identified was "the boy who is the Panchen's reincarnation" in

spite of religious rites and the established historical system, and in an

attempt to split the motherland. His announcement also negated the supreme

authority of the central authorities on the issue of the Panchen's

reincarnation. The struggle between us and the Dalai, in the final

analysis, is a serious political struggle between upholding the unification

of the motherland and splitting it, between safeguarding national

sovereignty and dignity and colluding with foreign hostile forces to meddle

in China's internal affairs, and between maintaining Tibet's stability and

creating a disturbance in the region. In the struggle, the broad masses of

party members, cadres, monks, lamas and laymen gradually perceived the

reactionary true colours of the Dalai. They took a firm, clear-cut stand to

wage a resolute struggle against the Dalai's criminal activities that would

bring calamity to the country and the religion; eliminated his influence in

all aspects; and again ushered in a good situation of the work to locate

and confirm the soul boy as the Panchen's reincarnation. In particular,

after the third meeting of the leading group for the search for the soul

boy as the Panchen's reincarnation was solemnly convoked in Beijing, all

the people in Tibet conscientiously implemented the guidelines laid down by

the central authorities, thus creating a favourable condition for

accelerating the drawing of lots from a golden urn to confirm the

reincarnated boy. The Dalai's criminal plot to obstruct and disrupt the

work to locate the boy as the Panchen's reincarnation was finally thwarted

amid the sounds of victory uttered by those of the patriotic religious

circles and the people!

This was the first time that the work on the Panchen's reincarnation had

been smoothly completed since the founding of New China. The smooth and

satisfactory completion of the work which has important immediate and

profound historical significance has explored and accumulated experiences

in the reincarnation of living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism in a socialist

system under the leadership of the Communist Party, and, above all, has

shown the unsurpassed correctness of the party's policy on nationalities

and religious affairs, and has proved that people enjoy full freedom of

religious belief in socialist New China. The vast numbers of monasteries of

Tibetan Buddhism, high priests, eminent monks and ordinary monks absolutely

may conduct normal Buddhist activities, and fulfil their lofty aspirations

of promoting Buddhist doctrine, doing good and charitable works, and

realizing universal salvation. Viewed from another angle, it has also shown

that all religions will be fully protected and respected, and can make

suggestions and work with the masses of the people to build a prosperous

motherland and a happy, beautiful homeland so long as they accept the

leadership of the CCP, adapt themselves to the socialist system, uphold the

dignity of the law, protect the interests of the people, maintain unity

among all nationalities and safeguard the unification of the motherland on

their own initiative.

The last wish of the 10th Panchen Master to confirm the reincarnated boy by

drawing lots from a golden urn in front of a statue of Sakyamuni was

finally satisfactorily fulfilled today. We believe that high priests and

eminent monks at Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery will surely be able to properly

educate and train the reincarnated boy, and that the 11th Panchen will

surely be able to promote and develop the 10th Panchen Master's virtues and

traditions of fervent love for the CCP, the socialist motherland, one's own

nationality and one's own belief.