Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaincain Norbu, attends a symposium marking the 50th anniversary of the "liberation of Tibetan slaves" at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 27 March 2009. File photo/AFP/Getty Images/Liu Jin
By Tibet Sun Onlinenews
ON THE WEB, 20 July 2016
The largest exile Tibetan group, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), has condemned a religious event by “fake Panchen Lama” Gyancain Norbu to be held from 21 to 24 July at Tashi Lhumpo monastery in Tibet’s second largest city Shigatse.
Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, reported a week ago that the Tashi Lhumpo monastery officials and the Buddhist Association in Shigatse (Ch: Xigaze) had jointly announced the conferment of the Kalachakra empowerment.
TYC has expressed outrage and denounced the event as propaganda by the communist Chinese government, saying, “This calculated move is another one of Beijing’s strategies to claim their right over everything Tibetan despite the glaring contradiction that a communist government is heavily involved in conducting the affairs of Tibetan religious traditions.”
Gyancain Norbu is the boy installed by the Government of China to replace the original Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognised by the Dalai Lama just few months after the latter’s abduction in 1995.
The Kalachakra, which means ‘wheel of time’, is a complex teaching and practice in Tibetan Buddhism. The teaching is very advanced and esoteric, and there is a tradition of offering it to large public audiences.
The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama are the two highest lamas in Tibetan Buddhism. There have been times when the Panchen Lama took the lead role in the recognition of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, and vice versa.
The Dalai Lama has been giving the Kalachakra empowerments in exile, and these teachings are very popular, with a very high attendance. He is scheduled to confer the 34th Kalachakra empowerment in Bodh Gaya from 3 to 14 January 2017.
Reports in the media have stated that the government has ordered that at least two persons from each family in Shigatse city must attend the Kalachakra initiation.
TYC says that organising a religious event like the Kalachakra is definitely viewed as only a publicity stunt to try and win over the Tibetan people who have continued to resist and protest China’s illegal rule in Tibet. This is even more obvious in light of the Chinese authorities order to the Tibet’s largest Buddhist centre Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Serthar county in Kardze, to cut down its strength to 5,000 and reduce the number of monks and nuns in the monastery, along with destruction of many buildings there.
“This Kalachakra teaching is being given by the ‘Panchen Lama’ who is denounced by Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet. This preposterous effort by the Beijing Government simply exposes their paranoia over losing control over the Tibetan people in Tibet,” said Tenzing Jigme, President of Tibetan Youth Congress.
“It is apparent from this move that China realises that despite 67 years of occupation, it has not been able to control the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people, and will go at great lengths to attempt to gain that control.”
TYC has consistently campaigned for the whereabouts and the release of the 11th Panchen Lama but till date the Chinese government has not provided any concrete evidence regarding these issues.
China’s Panchen himself is a victim of Communist manipulation and deception. Tibetans will be forced to attend this “Kalachakra” and everything will be stage-managed by local authorities under the preying eyes of Beijing.
But the world doesn’t accept and agree with this kind of religious freedom, where people have no choices.
Tibet Sun when it puts quotation marks on “fake Panchen Lama” in its headline, basically TibetSun or Lobsang Wangyal is saying, TYC is accusing China appointed Panchen as fake but, Tibet Sun does not.
If not, Tibet Sun should not put the word fake Panchen Lama in quotation mark. Fake is fake, accept it.
[[ Linga la, you have a very good point here. In this case, yes, TS/LW is saying that TYC is accusing the China Panchen as fake. But that does NOT imply that TS/LW does not think this Panchen is fake, only that TS is quoting TYC. Tibet Sun tries to practice unbiased reporting — which is difficult and does sometimes lead to misunderstandings. — thank you, Web Admin]]
[[ Here’s FreeTibet.org also using quotes: https://twitter.com/freetibetorg/status/756441177684082688 -i’m pretty sure what their stand is, yes? 😀 — web admin ]]
Neither do I wish to sound milquetoast nor ultracrepidarian in putting a label on the 11th Panchen Lama for his Kalachakra initiation initiative, when I know my understanding of Tibetan Buddhism is infinitesimal at best. Similar ignominious labels were hurled at the 10th Panchen Lama in the summer of 1954 when he first gave the Kalachakra initiation in Shigatse. As such, listen attentively, analyze, investigate, cogitate, confer and then make the call. This is in tune with Buddha’s teaching. If not, one is still cocooned in the vortex of 19th century mentality.