Freb flowers and books offered to the 11th Panchen Erdeni on his sixth birthday on the 19th day of the second month of the year of the Five-Rat according to the Tibetan calendar(February 13, 1996)

In 1409, Tsong-kah-pa initiated the dGe-lugs-pa Sect. In 1474, dGe-vdun-grup-pa, abbot of Drashihunpo Monastery and Tsong-kha-pa's disciple as well, passed away. And the monastery adopted the principle of reincarnation to confirm dGe-vdun-rgya-mtsho as his reincarnated soul boy. This was the first time that high-rangking personages in the dGe-lugs-pa Sect were appointed in this way. In 1546, dGe-vdun-rgya-mtsho, abbot of vBras-spungs Monastery, passed away. The monastery confirmed bSod-nams-rgya-mtsho as his reincarnated soul boy. Thus the first grand Living Buddha reincarnation system came into being in vBras-spungs Monastery. bSod-nams-rgya-mtsho was the Third Dalai Lama and the first two were called the First and the Second Dalai Lamas. In the meanwhile, the second reincarnation system of the dGe-lugs-pa, as the First Panchen, was also formed in Drashihunpo Monastery. In this system, the Fourth Living Buddha Blo-bzang-chos-kyi-rgyal-mtshan acted as abbot of Darshihunpo Monastery. In 1645, Gushi Khan, a Tibetan local chieftain, conferred upon him the title of "Panchen Pokto", which was the origin of the title of "Panchen". And the first three generations were also posthumously confirmed.

In 1639, supported by Gushi Khan, chief of the Mongol Hoshot tribe, the dGe-lugs-pa Sect wielded ruling power over Tibet. The Fifth Dalai Lama and the Fourth Panchen discussed the dispatch of envoys to establish contacts with the Qing Government before the Qing troops entered Shanhaiguan Pass. After that, in 1644, the Qing Government implemented the policies of supporting the dGe-lugs-pa Sect and encouraging it to wield the local political power of Tibet. In 1653, Emperor Shunzhi conferred the title of "Dalai Lama, Buddha of Great Compassion in the West, Leader of the Buddhist Faith beneath the Sky, Holder of the Vajra" upon the Fifth Dalai Lama and bestowed upon him a gold album and a gold seal. In 1713, Emperor Kangxi cinferred the title of "Panchen Erdeni"upon the Fifth Panchen and bestowed upon him a gold album and a gold seal. The Qing Government officially confirmed their titles and positions.

　　　　　　　　　　　
Visiting the office of the 10th Panchen Erdeni in China's Tibetan language High Institute of Buddhism

The Qing Government approved the reincarnation of grand Living Buddhas of the dGe-lugs-pa Sect and empowered them to deal with political affairs and wield political and religious powers in Tibet, so the conflicts of seizing the power of confirming reincarnated soul boys became more and more fierce and struggles occurred frequently in other Mongolian and Tibetan-in-habited regions, which greatly influenced the stability of society and the tranquility on the borders. After the death of these grand Living Buddhas, La-mo Chos-skyong(Guardian of Dharma)would hold religious rituals to consult deities for the confirmation of reincarnated soul boys. This traditional method offered high-ranking nobles and grand lamas some opportunity to bribe Chos-skyongs and confirm reincarnated soul boys on the pretext of the dities's words. As a result, the relatives of grand lamas of the dGe-lugs-pa Sect were united in marriages so that the reincarnated soul boys always came from the same family. Considering this, Emperor Qianlong decided to improve the selection of reicarnated Living Buddhas. By doing so, the Central Government could tightly control the process of searching and confirming reincarnated soul boys so as to strenthen the local administration over Tibet and stabilize southwestern borders.

In 1792, the Qing troops drove out the Gurkha invaders. After that, in his edict to order Amban(official stationed in Tibet) to discuss articles in ordinance, Emperor Qianlong pointed out:"From now on, La-mo Chos-skyong and the other three Chos-skyongs are ordered to consult deities in religious ritual, determing a number of reincarnated soul boys. Lots written with their names and dates of birth will be put into a gold urn, and Amban, together with Dalai Lama or Panchen Lama, will draw lots in front of the public and confirm reincarnated soul boys. The former presumptuous confirmation and secret transmission will be forbidden forever." In 1793, Twenty-nine Article Ordinance for the More Efficient Governing of Tibet was issued, which showed that Living Buddha reincarnation system governed by the Central Government had been officially established.

Act, consisting of five parts, mentions the system of drawing lots from a gold urn. part one and Part five explain the reason of the establishment of this system. Part two explains the basic principles, making some stipulations: languages on lots, selection of lot-drawers and choice of the site for this ceremony. It reads:"When reincarnated soul boys are to be confirmed, their names and dates of birth will be written in Manchurian, Han and Tibetan languages on metal lots, which will then be placed in a gold urn provided by His Majesty as a symbol of his suppot for the dGe-lugs-pa Sect. This procedure, performed in the presence of the Four Guardians of Dharma, will be followed by a seven-day prayer session conducted by Living Buddhas of great learning. Then the reincarnation will be officially confirmed in front of the statue of Sakyamuni in Jo-khang Temple by the Hutuktus and Amban." Part three makes a special stipulation for only one boy candidate chosen, it reads:"When only one soul boy is determined, a blank metal lot will be put in the urn in addition to the one bearing the name of that soul boy. if the blank lot is drawn, that soul boy will not be reconized as the reincarnation, and a new one shall be sought." Part four clearly stipulates:"When confirming the reincarnation of Dalai Lamas and Panchen Erdeni, lots will be written in Manchurian, Han and Tibetan languages, and they will be confirmed in the same manner". Emperor Qianlong stressed the importance of drawing lot from the gold urn in his famous work entitled On Lamas, adding some new items concerning the ceremony of drawing lots from a gold urn held in Yonghe Temple for the reincarnation of grand Living Buddhas in the Mongolian region and the joint drawing of lots by the office of the Board for National Minority Affairs and Dza-sag Lama, who kept the seal.

In 1796, vPhag-pa-lha Hutuktu was confirmed as the first Living Buddha in the Tibetan Living Buddha reincarnation system through the method of drawing lots from a gold urn. In 1815, the Ninth Dalai Lama passed away. In 1822, Emperor Daoguang instructed Amban Wen Gan and Regent to bring three boy candidates to Lhasa to have strict tests. If they were very intelligent, they would be confirmed through the method of drawing lots from a gold urn. Otherwise, the lot-drawing ceremony would be held for three other boy candidates to be chosen. In the same year, presided over by Wen Gan, the first lot-drawing ceremony to confirm the reincarnated soul boy of the Dalai Lama was held in the Potala Palace. After the establishment of the system of drawing lots, the central governments always retained the power to deal affairs concerning the lot-drawing. Each time, it would dispatch officials to preside over lot-drawing ceremonies or Ambans to supervise them. During the period of 100 years, only in Tibet, over 70 reincarnated soul boys of Living Buddhas above the Hutuktus rank were confirmed through this method in more than 30 reincarnation system in the dGe-lugs-pa Sect, the bKav-brgyud-pa Sect and the rNying-ma-pa Sect.

　　　　　　　　　　　
　　　　　　　　　　　Exchanging greeting with mother of the 10th Panchen Erdeni

The Nationalist Government followed the policies of governing Tibet implemented by the Qing Dynasty. In 1933, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama passed away. In 1936 and 1937,the Nationlist Government respectively issued The Method for the Reincarnation of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama through the Method of Drawing Lots from the Gold Urn. In 1937, the Ninth Panchen passed away and in 1941, the Nationalist Government especially sent Blo-bzang-rgyal-mtshan, a committee member of the affairs in searching for the Panchen's reincarnated soul boy. In 1942, according to historical precedent, it issued The Method of Confirming Panchen's Reincarnated Soul Boy. In 1949, the Nationalist Government especially approved mGon-po-rshe-brtan, reincarnated soul boy from Qinghai to succeed the throne as the Tenth Panchen without going through the procedure of drawing lots from a gold urn. In June of the same year, it sent Guan Jiyu, special commissioner and director of the Commission on Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs to preside over the enthronement ceremony. Throughout the period of the Republic of China, the Central Government consistently insisted on controlling the reincarnation system of grand Living Buddhas of the dGe-lugs-pa Sect, observing religious practices and historical convention(drawing lots from a gold urn) as well as the principle of receiving the approval from the Central Government.

In terms of the Twenty-nine Articles and the actual condition in drawing lots from a gold urn, five key points concerning the governing of the Living Buddha reincarnation system of the dGe-lugs-pa Sect are as follows:

1)The Central Government keeps under its control the affairs concerning the reincarnation of grand Living Buddhas of the dGe-lugs-pa Sect. Ambans(or special commissioners sent by the Central Government) will help to implement it in Tibet.

2)The local government of Tibet will file a report to the Central Government for its approval. Then the reincarnated soul boy will be sought according to religious practices. After that, Amban(or special commissioner sent by the Central Government), together with Dalai Lama or Panchen Lama, will identify those boy candidates and examine them. Finally, a report will be filed with the Central Government for its approval.

3)The lot-drawing ceremony will be held in Sagsum-rnam-rgya in the Potala Palace. The Central Government will appoint Amban(or special commissioner)to preside over it and draw lots.

4)The designated reincarnated soul boy will be reported to the Central Government for its approval for him to be enthroned. The Central Government will dispatch officials to preside over the ceremony and supervise it as well.

5)The local government of Tibet will report to the Central Government the reincarnated soul boy's Sutra teachers' names and then it will begin to use the seal owned by his previous incarnation.

　　　　　　　　　　
The 11th Panchen Erdeni walks around the dagobe erected in memory of the 6th Panchen Erdeni during his visit to China's Tibetan Language High Institute of Buddhism in the Xihuangsi Monastery in Beijing on March 9, 1996

This system ensured that the Central Government controlled the power of confirming reincarnated soul boys of grand Living Buddhas of the dGe-lugs-pa Sect, which further clarified the subordinate relations between the Central Government and Tibet, and maintained sovereignty over Tibet. It also avoided such malpractices as offering or accepting bribes; being involved in corruption, showing a religious ideal that the deities' decisions were just and sacred. It not only guraanteed a smooth transition between political and religious leaders in Tibet, but also confirmed to Tibetan Buddhist doctrines and religious practices. As a result, it won the hearts of all and played an active role in stabilizing the social situation, avoiding the struggles and chaos of wars, and strenthening the secuity of borders. Therefore, the Eighth Dalai Lama and the Seventh Panchen Lama gave a firm support and expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the Emperor for his concerns over the dGe-lugs-pa Sect. The Eighth Dala Lama also solemnly issued a proclamation, pointing out the importance and necessity for drawing lots from a gold urn and mentioning concrete measures, it reads:"In this aspect, those who still confirm reincarnation arbitrarily according to the old custom will be severely punished."

From: 《China Tibetology》
By: Zang Weihua