The Contested Eleventh Panchen Lama

In May 1995, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, from exile, recognized six year old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the eleventh Panchen Lama, following the traditional search and confirmation process. Within days, Chinese authorities took the boy and his family into custody; neither has been seen publicly since, and the Chinese government has stated only that he lives a normal life and does not wish to be disturbed, a claim independent observers have not been able to verify. Months later, Chinese authorities convened their own selection process using the Qing-era golden urn lottery among a shortlist of candidates and installed Gyaincain Norbu as the Panchen Lama recognized by the state; he has since taken part in officially sponsored religious and political functions within China.

The dispute has become one of the most closely watched succession controversies in contemporary religion, because a Panchen Lama recognized by Beijing would, under the same logic Chinese authorities have applied, carry weight in confirming or contesting the next Dalai Lama's own recognition. Tibetan exile institutions regard Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the legitimate eleventh Panchen Lama and his enforced disappearance as an unresolved human rights concern; the Chinese state regards Gyaincain Norbu as the legitimate holder. Both positions are recorded here as the parties' own stated positions, without adjudication.