(The content of this article is based on authoritative sources, and there are literature citation sources at the end of the article)
One afternoon in January 1989, when the 10th Panchen Lama was chanting in Tashilhunpo Monastery, a sudden strong wind lifted the curtains. The gust of wind was menacing, as if to foreshadow something.
The Panchen was shocked, and he realized that his death was near. Sure enough, the next day he had a heart attack and drove west.
The death of the 10th Panchen Lama has left a huge void in Tibetan Buddhism. The search for the reincarnated spirit child became a priority.
On November 29, 1995, a mysterious and solemn ceremony was held at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. On the same day, Gyaltsen Norbu stood out from many candidates and was recognized as the reincarnation of the 11th Panchen Lama.
There is a vision in heaven
At noon on January 27, 1989, just as the Tibetan New Year was approaching, the 10th Panchen Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen chanted sutras and prayed for blessings in Tashilhunpo Monastery.
Suddenly, a gust of wind howled by, and the curtains were blown to the point of hunting. Such a wind had never appeared in the Panchen's memory, and a sense of foreboding rose in the Panchen's heart, and he vaguely felt that his time was running out.
The next day, January 28, the Panchen's premonition became a reality.
During his daily chanting, he had a heart attack and fell to the ground.
When the news broke, the entire monastery was shrouded in grief. The monks recalled the yellow wind of the previous day and thought it was a sign of the imminent death of the Panchen Lama.
The 10th Panchen Lama's place in Tibetan Buddhism is self-evident, and he is the second most important person after the Dalai Lama. During his lifetime, the Panchen Lama made great contributions to the preservation and development of Tibetan Buddhism.
He traveled to Tibetan areas all year round to understand the people's situation and help the people in need. Tibetan Buddhism focuses on the reincarnation of living Buddhas, believing that eminent monks will be reincarnated after their deaths, incarnated as spirit children, and continue to pass on the Dharma.
As the successor of the 10th Panchen Lama, it is necessary to have extraordinary wisdom and compassion to guide the followers on the path to liberation. How easy is it to find such a successor?
According to the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, eminent monks began to be busy searching for the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama. They know that finding the right child is critical to the future of Tibetan Buddhism as a whole.
Before the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, he mentioned that the method of "casting lots in a golden vase" could be adopted to determine the successor.
The casting of lots in the golden vase is a sacred and impartial method of selection, but before that, it is necessary to find a few spirit children who are qualified to become candidates.
Finding the true reincarnated spirit child is crucial to maintaining the stability and development of Tibetan Buddhism. If the successor is not qualified, it will not only affect the faith of the believers, but also bring turmoil to the entire denomination.
Therefore, the search for the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama became the most urgent task at that time.
Thousands of miles away
Under the leadership of the Living Buddha Qiongbu, the search team officially began the journey to find the reincarnated spirit child of the 10th Panchen Lama.
The child's birth must coincide with the 10 months after the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, and this point in time must be accurate to the day.
In addition, when the spirit child is born, there are also some auspicious signs around him, such as rainbows, auspicious clouds, or strange lights. These signs are believed to be a divinely given revelation that heralds the birth of a great soul.
As the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, this spirit boy must also be extraordinary in terms of physical characteristics and intelligence. His appearance, body shape, and even his speech and demeanor are different from ordinary people.
More importantly, the spirit child must have an extraordinary memory and comprehension, and be able to identify the Dharma objects and objects that the Panchen Lama used in his previous life.
Only after passing these tests can you be eligible to become a candidate for the Golden Vase lottery.
The group's journey began in June 1989. Using Tashilhunpo Monastery as a starting point, they planned to launch a large-scale search in Tibetan areas.
In order to express his devotion to this sacred task, the Living Buddha led the monks to bathe and change their clothes for three consecutive days, praying for guidance from the heavens. Later, they climbed over the lofty mountains and came to the sacred lake Yongbulatso in the southern region of Tibet.
At the lake, monks light butter lamps, offer white hata, and chant prayers with devotion. In this way, they hope to get the revelation from heaven and find the direction to find the spirit child.
During several days of meditation on the lake, the Living Buddha saw a horse and a child dressed in colorful hata on the lake.
Based on the signs that appeared in the lake, the Living Buddha of Qiongpo deduced that the 10th Panchen Lama may have been born to the east or northeast of Tashilhunpo Monastery and to be a horse, snake or sheep.
With these clues, the search team's actions are more targeted. They drew up a detailed road map and began a long and arduous trek.
The footsteps of the search are all over Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan and other provinces. The monks went from village to house and carefully inquired about the condition of each eligible child.
After several rounds of searching, the search team finally identified a few promising seedlings. Among them is Gyaltsen Norbu from Jiali County, Nagqu Prefecture, Tibet.
When the monks visited Gyaltsen Norbu's home, they noticed that the child displayed unusual qualities. Faced with the photographs enshrined in the monastery, Gyaltsen Norbu accurately identified the photographs of his past life and was very kind to the monks, showing wisdom beyond his years.
Next, the search team will conduct more rigorous investigation and screening of these seedlings.
They repeatedly inspected the time and place of birth of each candidate and the surrounding visions, and tried to find the most suitable spirit child through divination, physiognomy and other methods.
In the end, the Living Buddha and the members of the search team went through a lot of hardships and traveled to countless villages to select three candidate spirit children, including Gyaltsen Norbu.
All three children exhibited extraordinary aptitude and understanding, and were considered most likely to be the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama.
Lots in the Golden Vase
November 29, 1995 was an extremely important day for Tibet and for Tibetan Buddhism as a whole.
The casting of lots in the golden vase will ultimately determine who is the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, and who will take on the heavy responsibility of leading the Tibetan people to the light.
In the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, hundreds of monks dressed in crimson robes gathered. They prostrate in three steps and reverently wait for the ceremony to begin.
In the main hall of the Jokhang Temple, colorful thangkas are hung on the four walls, depicting the life of the Buddha and the deeds of the Panchen Lama in his previous life. The ritual vessels and toba were neatly placed one by one, exuding a solemn atmosphere.
Presiding over the ceremony of casting lots in the golden vase is the Venerable Tokang Living Buddha.
He is a senior monk of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is known for his wisdom and compassion. At this moment, the Living Buddha of Tokang was wearing a robe and holding a magic weapon, and slowly walked into the main hall.
Behind him were two monks, holding a wooden box inlaid with gold and jade. In the wooden box, there were three golden bottles, each containing the name of a candidate spirit child.
Silence enveloped the Jokhang Temple, and everyone waited with bated breath. The Living Buddha came to the Buddha statue and respectfully bowed three times. Then, he turned to face the monks and solemnly announced the official start of the golden vase drawing ceremony.
In the sound of chanting, the Living Buddha Tokang slowly opened the wooden box and took out three gold bottles. He picked up the golden vase in both hands and walked to the center of the main hall. There, a low table was ready, and a golden hada was laid on it.
The Living Buddha Tokang placed the golden vase on top of Hatha, then took three steps back and prostrated three times again.
Next, comes the most critical moment. The Living Buddha closed his eyes and recited, folded his hands, and began the process of drawing lots. He slowly stretched out his right hand and hovered over the three golden bottles.
Everyone present held their breath for fear of missing a single detail. After a moment, Tokang's hand rested on the golden vase in the middle. He took a deep breath and slowly opened the cap of the bottle and took out a paper skewer from it.
The paper slip was carefully unfolded, and a name was written on it: Gyaltsen Norbu. Suddenly, the entire Jokhang Temple was boiling. The monks excitedly shouted "Tashi Delek", which means "auspicious wishes".
Gyaltsen Norbu, a young boy from Jiali County in the Nagqu Prefecture, stood out in the Golden Vase lottery and was recognized as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama.
The news soon spread throughout Tibet. In Gyaltsen Norbu's hometown, the people are immersed in ecstasy. They lit butter lamps and lit barley wine to cheer for this auspicious day.
In Lhasa, thousands of Tibetans flocked to the Jokhang Monastery in hopes of catching a glimpse of the new Panchen Lama. They held prayer wheels in their hands, chanted the six-character mantra in their mouths, and reverently awaited the arrival of Gyaltsen Norbu.
In the afternoon of the same day, Gyaltsen Norbu, escorted by monks, came to the Jokhang Temple. He was dressed in a crimson monk's robe, wearing a yellow monk's hat, and an innocent smile on his face.
At only six years old, he doesn't have much idea about the heavy responsibility he shoulders, but his every move reveals an innate bearing and wisdom.
Gyaltsen Norbu, under the guidance of the Living Buddha Tokang, came to the Buddha seat in the Jokhang Temple. His immature hands folded together and bowed to the Buddha statue.
The ceremony of drawing lots in the golden vase announced that Gyaltsen Norbu officially became the 11th Panchen Erdeni Chokyi Jebu.
Succeeding to the throne
As the reincarnation of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu had to receive a systematic and comprehensive Buddhist education. He was sent to Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet and began a long and arduous career of study.
In the monastery, Gyaltsen Norbu studied the Dharma with his guru every day, chanting, debating, practicing, and meticulously studying the sutras.
In addition to the practice of Buddhism, Gyaltsen Norbu also studied other knowledge, such as Tibetan, Chinese, mathematics, history, etc.
With the encouragement of his guru, Gyaltsen Norpo began to go out of the monastery and into all corners of the Tibetan area to understand the people's situation and help the people in need.
Gyaltsen Norbu's footprints are all over the north and south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. He visited villages, comforted poor herders, and brought them food and medicine.
He listened to the people's demands and helped them solve their problems. Gyaltsen Norbu also paid special attention to education and health care, and he called for more resources to be devoted to these areas to improve the living conditions of people in Tibetan areas.