Panchen Lama

5 Stories

China Speaks of Boy Chosen by Dalai Lama Who Then Vanished

Beijing claims Gedhun Choekyi Nyima wants to be left alone

(Newser) - China says a boy who disappeared 25 years ago after being picked by the Dalai Lama as Tibetan Buddhism’s second-highest figure is now a college graduate with a stable job. Very little information has been given about Gedhun Choekyi Nyima or his family since he went missing at age...

Tibetans Call for Return of Panchen Lama, Now 28

Little is known of Tibet's second-ranked monk 22 years after his detention

(Newser) - This week marked the 28th birthday of Tibet’s Panchen Lama, reinvigorating calls for his release from detention by the Chinese government. Radio Free Asia reports that at just 6 years old, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family were detained when the exiled Dalai Lama named him the 11th reincarnation...

Tibet to China: Give Us Back the Boy Monk You Stole

2nd-highest Buddhist spiritual leader disappeared 20 years ago at age 6

(Newser) - Twenty years ago this week, a 6-year-old Tibetan boy was cornered by Chinese authorities, then apparently fell off the face of the Earth. He wasn't just any grade-schooler, though: Gedhun Choekyi Nyima had just been declared the 11th Panchen Lama (second only to the Dalai Lama in the Buddhist...

China's Tibet Leader Makes Rare Speech

Panchen Lama not recognized by Tibet

(Newser) - Tibetan Buddhism's second-highest leader—selected by China but not recognized by the Dalai Lama's supporters—spoke today in Hong Kong, appearing for the first time outside the Chinese mainland. The 22-year-old Gyaltsen Norbu, picked by China at age 6, offered thoughts on Buddhist philosophy as China works to...

New Buddhas Made in China, Bejing Decrees

Tibetans forbidden to anoint successors to Dalai Lama

(Newser) - China's office of religious affairs has cracked down on the Tibetan practice of designating "living Buddhas," writes the Telegraph. A notice published yesterday forces Tibetan lamas to obtain Chinese permission before naming reincarnations. The exiled Tibetan government suggests the new rules signal that Beijing will try to name...

5 Stories
Most Read on Newser