Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (born 25 April 1989[1]) is the 11th Panchen Lama belonging to the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, as recognized and announced by the 14th Dalai Lama on 14 May 1995. Three days later on 17 May, the six-year-old Panchen Lama was kidnapped and forcibly disappeared by the Chinese government, after the State Council of the People's Republic of China failed in its efforts to install a substitute.[2] A Chinese substitute is seen as a political tool to undermine the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, which traditionally is recognized by the Panchen Lama.[3] Gedhun Choekyi Nyima remains forcibly detained by the Chinese government, along with his family, in an undisclosed location since 1995. His khenpo, Chadrel Rinpoche, and another Gelugpa monk, Jampa Chungla, were also arrested.[4] The United Nations, with the support of numerous states, organizations, and private individuals continue to call for the 11th Panchen Lama's release.
| Gedhun Choekyi Nyima དགེ་འདུན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཉི་མ་ | |
|---|---|
 Gedhun Choekyi Nyima in 1995 | |
| 11th Panchen Lama (disputed) | |
| Reign | 14 May 1995–present (CTA interpretation, disputed by Chinese government proxy Gyaincain Norbu) |
| Predecessor | Choekyi Gyaltsen 10th Panchen Lama |
| Born | 25 April 1989 Lhari County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China |
| Disappeared | May 17, 1995 (aged 6) Lhari County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China |
| Status | Missing for 29 years, 6 months and 5 days |
| Gedhun Choekyi Nyima | |||||||||
| Tibetan name | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tibetan | དགེ་འདུན་ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཉི་མ | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 更登確吉尼瑪 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 更登确吉尼玛 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
The Panchen Lama was born in Lhari County, Tibet Autonomous Region, from where he was kidnapped under the authority of the People's Republic of China. He has been called the world's youngest political prisoner. Since his recognition as the 11th Panchen Lama, he continues to be forcibly detained, along with his family, by the Chinese government,[5][3] and has not been seen in public since 17 May 1995.[5][3]
In a response to growing international pressure from the United Nations, governments of various states, and in 2020 from 159 independent organizations from 18 countries working with the United Nations, on 19 May 2020, the Chinese government alleged that the Panchen Lama is "now a college graduate with a stable job", but has not provided supporting evidence.[6]
The Chinese government continues to refuse the Panchen Lama's and his family's release, or allow them to meet with observers.[6]
Selection of the 11th Panchen Lama
editFour days before his death, the 10th Panchen Lama made his own will publicly to follow the tradition. On 24 January, following the opening ceremony of the Ling Pagoda, with religious figures in Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and autonomous regions, the 10th Panchen Lama held a special talk on the reincarnation of the Living Buddha, proposing 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."[7]
Following the death of the 10th Panchen Lama in 1989, the search for an individual to be recognised as his reincarnation by Tibetan Buddhists quickly became mired in mystery and controversy, as Tibet had been under the occupation and control of the anti-religious government of the People's Republic of China since 1959.[8]
Three days after the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, the Premier of the State Council published its decision on how the 11th Panchen Lama was to be selected, claiming to have taken advice from the committee of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and monks.[9][10]
Armed with Beijing's approval, the head of the Panchen Lama search committee, Chadrel Rinpoche, maintained private communication with the Dalai Lama in order to arrive at a mutually acceptable candidate for both the Dalai Lama and Beijing authorities concerning the Panchen Lama's reincarnation.[11] After the Dalai Lama named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th incarnation of the Panchen Lama on 14 May 1995, Chinese authorities had Chadrel Rinpoche arrested and charged with treason and leaking state secrets.[12][13] According to the Tibetan Government in Exile, he was replaced by Sengchen Lobsang Gyaltsen, so chosen because he was more likely to agree with the party line.[14] Sengchen had been a political opponent of both the Dalai Lama and the 10th Panchen Lama.[15] Because of the history of rivalry between different sects of Tibetan Buddhism, many Tibetans and scholars believe that this was a tactical move by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to create more unrest and disunity between the typically unified Tibetan peoples.[16][17]
The new search committee ignored the Dalai Lama's 14 May announcement and instead chose from a list of finalists which excluded Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. In selecting a name, lottery numbers were drawn from a Golden Urn, a procedure used in Tibet by the Chinese (Manchu) emperor in 1793.[18] The 14th Dalai Lama stated that the Tibetan method involves using possessions of the former Lama to identify his reincarnation, as the new child incarnate will reportedly recognize his past items amid miscellaneous ones.[19]
The BBC reported that the CCP's choice of Gyancain Norbu was rejected by most Tibetans.[20] Alexander Norman wrote, "Today, the Panchen Lamas are famous for having two claimants to the see of Tashilhunpo: one recognised by the present Dalai Lama and taken into house arrest by the Chinese, the other recognised by China but by no one else."[21]
Whereabouts
editSince his kidnapping, the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima have been unknown.[22] Chinese officials state that his whereabouts are kept undisclosed to protect him.[23] Human rights organizations termed him the "youngest political prisoner in the world".[24][25] No foreign party has been allowed to visit him.[26]
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child requested to be told of Nyima's whereabouts on 28 May 1996. Xinhua declined, responding that Gedhun Choyki Nyima was at risk of being "kidnapped by separatists" and that "his security had been threatened".[27] The Committee requested a visit with Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, supported by a campaign of more than 400 celebrities and associations petitioning for the visit, including six Nobel Prize winners.[28][29] According to statements by the Chinese government from 1998, he was then leading a normal life.[26]
In May 2007, Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief of the UN Human Rights Council, asked the Chinese authorities what measures they had taken to implement the recommendation of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, that the government should allow an independent expert to visit and confirm the well-being of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima while respecting his right to privacy, and that of his parents. In a response dated 17 July 2007, Chinese authorities said, "Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is a perfectly ordinary Tibetan boy, in an excellent state of health, leading a normal, happy life and receiving a good education and cultural upbringing. He is currently in upper secondary school, he measures 165 cm [5 ft 5 in] in height and is easy-going by nature. He studies hard and his school results are very good. He likes traditional Chinese culture and has recently taken up calligraphy. His parents are both State employees, and his brothers and sisters are either already working or at university. The allegation that he disappeared together with his parents and that his whereabouts remain unknown is simply not true." This response did not answer the question about a visit or confirmation.[30]
In 2015, on the twentieth anniversary of Gendun Choekyi Nyima's disappearance, Chinese officials announced "The reincarnated child Panchen Lama you mentioned is being educated, living a normal life, growing up healthily and does not wish to be disturbed."[31]
In April 2018, the Dalai Lama declared that he knew from a "reliable source" that the Panchen Lama he had recognized, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was alive and receiving normal education. He said he hoped that the PRC-appointed Panchen Lama (Gyaincain Norbu) studied well under the guidance of a good teacher.[32][33] As of 2024, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has not been seen by any independent observer since his disappearance in 1995.[34]
The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances considers the alleged kidnapping and detention of Nyima and his family to constitute an enforced disappearance, and as of June 25, 2024 continues to call for prompt and public release of the truth of Nyima's fate or whereabouts.[35] An enforced disappearance, as defined by treaty and by customary international law, occurs when a person is arrested, detained, abducted, or otherwise deprived of liberty by State agents or people acting with State authorization, support or acquiescence, "followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law".[36] Enforced disappearance, as opposed to most domestic definitions of kidnapping, is a continuing crime which persists for "as long as perpetrators continue to conceal the fate and whereabouts of persons who have disappeared."[37]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Gedhun Choekyi Nyima – The Panchen Lama, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
- ^ 十年了：达赖指定的班禅今安在. Deutsche Welle (in Simplified Chinese).
生钦·洛桑坚赞说："达赖擅自宣布的'转世灵童'不具备任何入瓶掣签的条件。我们扎什伦布寺民主管理委员会班禅转世灵童寻访小组和广大僧众坚决不同意把他作为入瓶掣签候选灵童。
- ^ a b c "Tibet's missing spiritual guide". BBC News. 16 May 2005. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ Central Tibetan Administration, "Tibet: Suspicious Death of Panchen Lama Search Leader", 25 November 2011, https://unpo.org/article/13525
- ^ a b Gedhun Choekyi Nyima the XIth Panchen Lama turns 18: Still disappeared The Buddhist Channel, 25 April 2007
- ^ a b "China says boy picked by Dalai Lama now a college graduate". AP NEWS. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "班禅转世纪实".
第十世班禅大师圆寂前四天，即1月24日，在主持灵塔开光典礼后的西藏、青海、甘肃、四川、云南五省区部分宗教界人士座谈会上，特别谈了活佛转世问题，提出应"先找出三个候选灵童，然后逐一进行调查"，"我想在释迦牟尼像前，采取'金瓶掣签'的办法来确定。"这些话，是大师临终前的遗愿。
- ^ Gedhun Choekyi Nyima: the XIth Panchen Lama of Tibet Archived 24 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "国务院关于第十世班禅大师治丧和转世问题的决定".
- ^ "第十世班禅大师的圆寂和遗言".
- ^ TCHRD: Chadrel Rinpoche's fate unknown Archived 2 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Senior Tibetan Monk Given Jail Term by China". The New York Times. Associated Press. 8 May 1997. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
A senior Tibetan Buddhist monk has been convicted of plotting to split China and of leaking state secrets, the New China News Agency reported today. He is suspected of passing information to the Dalai Lama.
- ^ "After Decades,Tibet Won't Bend to Chinese Ways". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
When Mr. Chadrel decided to follow the dictates of his conscience rather than those of the party, he was tried and sentenced to six years imprisonment for treason and espionage some months ago.
- ^ Update-Communist China set to decide on a rival Panchen Lama Archived 25 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Communist China set to decide on a rival Panchen Lama Archived 24 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Coonan, Clifford (2 March 2010). "China appoints Panchen Lama in tactical move to quell unrest - Asia - World". The Independent. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ "Propaganda and the Panchen Lama: playing politics". Weblog.savetibet.org. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ Alex McKay, The History of Tibet : The Modern Period, Routledge 2003, ISBN 0-415-30844-5, p. 32. Google books
- ^ "Reincarnation | The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama". Dalailama.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ "Tibet's missing spiritual guide". BBC. 16 May 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
- ^ Norman, Alexander (2008). Holder of the White Lotus: The Lives of the Dalai Lama. London: Little, Brown. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-316-85988-2.
- ^ Coonan, Clifford (2 March 2010). "China appoints Panchen Lama in tactical move to quell unrest - Asia - World". The Independent. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
- ^ Xizang-zhiye 27 April 2005 Archived 24 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "World's youngest political prisoner turns 17". Washingtonpost.com. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ Laird, Thomas (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, p 374. Grove Press, N.Y. ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1.
- ^ a b "Amnesty International Testimony US – China Relations before the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate by T. Kumar, Advocacy Director for Asia". US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. 11 September 2003. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ Site of the TCHRD Archived 24 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Appel Pour Le Plus Jeune Prisonnier Politique Du Monde". Tibet.fr. 14 May 1995. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ "UNPO – WS on Panchen Lamas Case". Unpo.org. 9 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ "China Fails to Respond to UN Rights Expert's Question on Panchen Lama". 25 April 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
- ^ "China says Panchen Lama 'living a normal life' 20 years after disappearance". The Guardian. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ 11th Panchen Lama alive, receiving education: Dalai Lama, The Statesman, 25 April 2018: "Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Wednesday said 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima "according to reliable source is alive and receiving normal education". Talking to the media at Gaggal Airport in Kangra district after returning from four-day Delhi visit, Lama hoped that the official Panchen Lama studies well under the guidance of a good teacher. "Then the Panchen Lama, which I recognised sometime back, there was no news, but then according to reliable information, he is still alive and receiving normal education. So we will see", he said. He said there are instances in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, "where a reincarnated lama took more than one manifestation"."
- ^ Dr. Andrea Galli, Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama quarrel: The way for rapprochement with China, Modern Diplomacy, 9 May 2018.
- ^ Dalai Lama cites ‘reliable source’ as saying Panchen Lama alive, speaks well for the Chinese appointed counter, Tibetan Review, 27 April 2018 : "Following the passing away of the 10th Panchen Lama Choekyi Gyaltsen in Jan 1989, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader formally proclaimed six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima born in Tibet as his undisputed reincarnation on 14 May 1995. Three days later, the Chinese government took him and his family away to be never seen or heard from again."
- ^ Luciano Hazan; Elina Steinerte; Karima Bennoune; Fernand de Varennes; Ahmed Shaheed (2 June 2020). "Letter to the People's Republic of China concerning the continued enforced disappearance of Gedhun Cheokyi Nyima". UN. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ "International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance". United Nations. 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2022., Article 2
- ^ UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (2010). "General Comment on Enforced Disappearance as a Continuous Crime" (PDF). UN. Retrieved 24 September 2022.