Word: panchen
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...Kangtse, just outside the border of Tibet, last week waited the Panchen Lama, Tibet's "Living Buddha," now very much dead. He died 13 months ago while attempting to regain his godly throne. Since for religious reasons he could not be embalmed, and for political reasons cannot be taken into Tibet, he is still sitting, wrapped in shrouds, surrounded by hundreds of flickering yak-butter lamps, guarded by 2,000 armed retainers, serenaded by a brass band of 40 instruments...
Lamaist Tibet became a godless land nearly nine months ago when death came to the second, and more spiritual, of its "living gods," His Serenity the Panchen (or Tashi) Lama, "Buddha of Boundless Light" (TIME, Dec. 13). Long dead was Tibet's latest temporal god, the Dalai Lama. Last week, according to reports from India, Tibet still lacked living gods, was becoming increasingly embarrassed at having in its midst one god who was extremely dead. From Jyekundo, where the Panchen Lama died, a retinue of 1,000 lamas, Chinese soldiers and relations of the Buddha set out last winter...
Traveling ten miles a day in stately procession, they encamped at night in lamaseries or caravansaries, surrounded the Panchen Lama with hundreds of yak-butter lamps. The caravan finally arrived in Kanze, where the Panchen Lama remained last week, sitting odorously in his cerements. The Chinese troops wished to accompany the body to Lhasa; the Tibetans wanted no foreign soldiers; neither side gave in. Of authentic infant candidates to reincarnate and succeed either the Dalai or Panchen Lamas, no word had reached the outside world last week...
Whereas the Dalai Lama had been under British influence, the Panchen Lama cast his lot with China. He entertained and lived well, rode around in a bright yellow motorcar and bright yellow railroad train, and so great became his influence that the Nationalist Government thought it worthwhile to pay him $480,000 a year, give him the title of "Great Wise Priest Who Guards the Nation and Spreads Culture," in an attempt to save Manchuria and North China from Japanese influence...
Last summer, probably as a political move by anti-Chinese and anti-Panchen Lama groups, an infant Dalai Lama was reported discovered-by no means the first since the old Dalai Lama died. Though such an infant is long overdue. its authenticity had not been confirmed last week. Tibet was presumably, for the first time since anyone could recall, godless...