the dalai lamas and the panchen lamas

::GMLc has been wondering if the Dalai Lama can resign, as he has said he will do if violence continues in Tibet.

Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism by birth, or rather re-birth. He was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama when he was 2 years old. He is now 72.

The Dalai Lamas are believed by Tibetans to be the manifestations of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion and patron saint of Tibet.

If it comes to that, the Dalai Lama will resign only as head of the Tibetan government in exile, but he will be the Dalai Lama until he dies and a new one is found.

Therein lies part of Tibet's tragedy. Besides China's oppression, cultural destruction and abuse of human rights in Tibet, the Chinese might succeed in stamping out Tibet's spiritual heritage.

In Tibet, the Panchen Lama, chosen by the Dalai Lama, is responsible for finding the next Dalai Lama by locating his reincarnation.

But the chosen Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was abducted by the Chinese at age 5 and has not been seen since. He is believed to be a virtual prisoner in or near Beijing.

The Chinese installed their own boy as a puppet Panchen Lama in Tibet.

He will choose a new Dalai Lama that Tibetans will likely not accept as their true spiritual leader.

When the Dalai Lama dies, aspirations for Tibetan autonomy will likely die as well.

::link

::via topix

Comments

[elena athanasaki]

I think that the Chinese will not do this. Haven't they noticed that no Tibetan will ever accept their own Panchen Lama? Of course, they still might do it. So I think that HH the Dalai Lama should consider to reincarnate in Dharamsala, or at least somewhere out of Tibet and make sure that he has published this before his death so that the Tibetans know that he is intending to do so and accept the new Dalai Lama and even if the chinese Government creates their own Dalai Lama, he will only have the name. And they will definitely not be able to say "Dalai Lama changed his mind and decided to reincarnate in Tibet". I believe that if he reincarnates in a Tibetan family out of Tibet, it will be okay with Tibetan people. It might be hard in the beginning but they will accept it.