The 10th Panchen Lama was a bastion of Dharma within Tibet, despite some opposition from the Chinese in relation to his views and support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. An avid supporter of the practice of Dorje Shugden, he even built a chapel to the Great Protector in his home monastery of Tashi Lhunpo. Dorjeshugden.com has an article of the Panchen Lama, here is the link:
http://www.dorjeshugden.com/introduction/history/10th-panchen-lama-writes-prayer-to-dorje-shugden/I've pasted some of the article below, for pictures please visit the article itself.
10th Panchen Lama writes Prayer to Dorje ShugdenHis Holiness the Gyalwa Panchen Rinpoche, any of the line of this reincarnated line in Tibet, each of whom heads the influential Tashi Lhunpo Monastery (near Shigatse) and until recent times was second only to the Dalai Lama in spiritual authority within the dominant Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In fact spiritually Panchen Lama is on par with the Dalai Lama. The current Dalai Lama was heard to say and echo the 10th Panchen Lama’s words that Dalai Lama will safeguard Tibet from the outside while Panchen Lama safeguard Tibet from the inside as he never left Tibet for exile. His Holiness Panchen Lama was a great hero and very much loved by the Tibetan people up till his passing.
Panchen Lama or Panchen Rinpoche was a great patron of Tibetan language, arts, culture, history, religion, scriptures, ancient texts, traditions and a scholar of Buddhism himself. He was requested to give transmissions, teachings, initiations and advice all over Tibet to hundreds of thousands constantly. When the Panchen Lama gave public discourses literally hundreds of thousands would attend. His teachings although draw from Tsongkapa’s writings would attract scholars, teachers, masters and lineage holders of all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. From Government Ministers both Tibetan and Chinese would attend his discourses to the humblest farmer. People would queue whole days to get a glimpse or blessing by His Holiness Panchen Rinpoche. Panchen Rinpoche is much revered in Tibet without rival except the Dalai Lama.
In his large sprawling Tashi Lunpo Monastery, he has a special temple and chapel dedicated to Dorje Shugden. Special pujas, rites and rituals are performed to Dorje Shugden within this chapel by senior monks daily. Many lay people visit this famous chapel of Dorje Shugden daily in times of need and urgency. The laity requests Dorje Shugden rituals also daily. Panchen Rinpoche in his great omniscience held Dorje Shugden as a principal dharma protector of his lineage and personal propitiation together with other protectors of Tashi Lhunpo. There was no conflict. He even wrote prayers, offerings and prayers among his works to Dorje Shugden which will be provided here. Panchen Rinpoche personally wrote extensive prayers and rites to Dorje Shugden in his collected written works.
When someone of Panchen Rinpoche’s stature practices Dorje Shugden, has a special temple and chapel for this protector and also writes rituals and rites for this deity, we have no doubts Dorje Shugden is important and enlightened. Even if the Dalai Lama says Dorje Shugden or CTA claims Dorje Shugden is not to be worshipped, this would contradict Panchen Lama’s beliefs and practices. Can Panchen Rinpoche and many other erudite masters be wrong about Dorje Shugden and only Dalai Lama is correct? We leave it for you to decide.
The fact of the matter is Panchen Lama’s stature, erudite understanding of the scriptures, teacher to millions in Tibet and China, established incarnation line and emanated directly from Amitabah could not be mistaken about his practices such as Dorje Shugden.
Some background
The title Panchen (a short form of the Sanskrit-Tibetan Pandita Chen-po, or “Great Scholar”) was that traditionally given to head abbots of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, who were chosen for their maturity and learning. In the 17th century the fifth Dalai Lama declared that his tutor, Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen (1570–1662), who was the current Panchen Lama, would be reincarnated in a child. He thus became the first of the line of reincarnated lamas named Panchen Lamas who are regarded as physical manifestations of the Buddha Amitabah.
Disagreements between the government of the Dalai Lama and the Tashi Lhunpo administration over tax arrears led to the Panchen Lama’s flight to China in 1923. A boy born of Tibetan parents about 1938 in Qinghai province, China, Kelsang Tseten, was recognized as his successor. He was taken to Tibet in 1952 under Chinese military escort and enthroned as head abbot of Tashi Lhunpo. The Panchen Lama remained in Tibet in 1959 after the popular revolt and the Dalai Lama’s flight into exile, but his refusal to denounce the Dalai Lama as a traitor brought him into disfavour with the Chinese government, which imprisoned him in Beijing in 1964. He was released in the late 1970s and died in 1989. Panchen Lama never at any time denounced or criticized His Holiness the Dalai Lama. For this he was beaten and tortured many times, but his mind could not be swayed.
The Lineage of the Panchen Lamas
The Panchen Lama, a manifestation of Buddha Amitabah, ranks as the highest Tibetan Buddhist religious figure next to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The title Panchen means great scholar, and is derived from the Sanskrit term Pandita meaning scholar, and Tibetan word chen-po meaning great.
The Panchen Lama lineage dates back to 1385, when the first Panchen Lama Khedrup Geleg Pal Sangpo lived, and since then, Tibetan history has seen the seamless reincarnations of Panchen Lamas until today. Traditionally, the abbots of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, which was built in Shigatse by His Holiness the first Dalai Lama, were known as Panchen, owing to their scholarly reputation. In the 17th century, His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama gave his teacher, Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, the then abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the title of Panchen Lama, and declared that he would be reincarnated in a child, and that he would continue to be reborn in an unbroken lineage of successors.
5th Panchen Lama
From centuries past, an interesting relationship has existed between the two most senior religious leaders of the Gelug sect: the elder acting as the spiritual teacher of the younger; and the younger leading the search for the new incarnation after the passing of the elder. Herein, lies the significance of the role of the Panchen Lama, who plays a significant role in the search for and identification of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lamas, just as the Dalai Lamas leads the search for and identification of the Panchen Lamas’ reincarnation.
Line of Panchen Lama Reincarnations
1. Khedrup Geleg Namgyal Pelsang
(student of Je Tsongkapa)
(1385-1438)
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2. Sonam Choklang
(1439-1504)
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3. Losang Dondrup
(1505-1566)
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4. (1.) Panchen Lama
Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen
(1570-1662)
(the title Panchen Lama was given to this
incarnation lineage by the 4th Dalai Lama)
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5. (2.) Panchen Lama
Lobsang Yeshe
(1663-1737)
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6. (3.) Panchen Lama
Lobsang Palden Yeshe
(1738-1780)
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7. (4.) Panchen Lama
Lobsang Tenpe Nyima
(1782-1853)
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8. (5.) Panchen Lama
Lobsang Palden Choki Dragpa Tenpe Wangchuk
(1855-1882)
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9. (6.) Panchen Lama
Lobsang Choki Nyima Geleg Namgyal
(1883-1937)
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10. (7.) Panchen Lama
Lobsang Trinley Lhudup Chokyi Gyaltsen
(1938-1989)
History of the Panchen Lama
The 1st Panchen Lama, Khedrup Gelek Pelzang (1385-1438), was a disciple of Tsongkapa, the monk whose teachings formed the foundation of the Gelug school. Khedrup was one of the founders of Gelugpa, especially credited with promoting and defending Tsongkapa’s work.
After Khedrup Rinpoche’s death a Tibetan boy named Sonam Choklang was recognized as his tulku, or rebirth. A lineage of reborn lamas was established. However, these first Panchen Lamas did not hold the title during their lifetimes.
The title “Panchen Lama,” meaning “great scholar,” was given by the 5th Dalai Lama to the fourth lama in Khedrup Rinpoche’s lineage. This lama, Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, is remembered as the 4th Panchen Lama, although he was the first lama to hold the title in his life.
As well as being a spiritual descendent of Khedrup, the Panchen Lama also is considered to be an emanation of Amitabah Buddha. Along with his role as a teacher of the dharma, the Panchen Lamas usually are responsible for the recognition of rebirths of Dalai Lamas (and vice versa).
Since the time of Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, the Panchen Lamas have been involved in Tibet’s government and relations with powers outside Tibet. In the 18th and 19th centuries in particular the Panchen Lamas often had more real authority in Tibet than the Dalai Lama, especially through a series of Dalai Lamas who died too young to have had much influence. The Panchen Lama had the most power during this time in order to hold the country together and keep the daily spiritual and secular affairs of the country running smoothly. The 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Dalai Lamas did not live long and therefore during the weakness of this period, Panchen Lama was the de-facto ruler who oversaw the government of both internal and external affairs of Tibet.
The two high lamas have not always been congenial co-rulers. A serious misunderstanding between the 9th Panchen Lama and 13th Dalai Lama caused the Panchen Lama to leave Tibet for China in 1923. It became clear that the 9th Panchen Lama was a closer ally to Beijing than to Lhasa and did not agree with the Dalai Lama’s opinion that Tibet was independent from China. There were many misunderstandings between the Potala government and the Tashi Lhunpo ministers of the Panchen Lama.
By 1982 Beijing considered Panchen Lama Lobsang Gyaltsen to be rehabilitated and restored him to some positions of authority. At one point he was vice chairman of the National People’s Congress.
However, in 1989 the 10th Panchen Lama Lobsang Gyaltsen returned to Tibet, and during his visit he gave a speech mildly critical of China. Five days later he died, officially of a heart attack. He was 51 years old.
