The inauguration ceremony for the stupa and memorial hall for the holy remains of the late 10th Bainqen Erdeni Qoigyi Gyaincain was held on September 4 in Xigaze, Tibet, a lamaist holy city. The event attracted not only vast numbers of Tibetan people but also numerous nonreligious people from other parts of the country. The late 10th Bainqen Lama, who passed away nearly five years ago in the city, was not only an outstanding leader of Tibetan Buddhism, but also a famous statesman who had cooperated with the atheistic Communist Party of China (CPC) for 40 years. The gap that has been left by the departure of this mighty spiritual leader in the fields of politics and religion has been felt deeply and, it is widely believed, is unlikely to be filled in the near future.

This was the fifth September since the 10th Bainqen Lama passed away in 1989.It was still summer in Beijing and most other parts of the country. But in Tibet, the "Roof of the World," autumn had already arrived and the leaves were turning from green to gold--the same color as the roof of the newly built memorial hall dedicated to the remains of the late 10th Bainqen Erdeni in the Tashilhunpo Monastery, located at the south side of the Nyioeri Mountain in Xigaze, the second largest city in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Tashilhunpo Monastery, one of the four great lamaseries of the Gelug Sect, also known as the Yellow Sect in Tibetan Buddhism, was first built in 1447 under the guidance of the 1st Dalai Lama Gendun Cholba, a disciple of Zongkapa, founder of the Gelug Sect. Since the beginning of the 17th century, the monastery has been the permanent residence of seven successive Bainqen Lamas, descendants of one of the two major lines of incarnate Living Buddhas of the Gelug Sect (the other is the Dalai Lama).

In early 1989, the 10th Bainqen Lama, who also served as vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), made an inspection tour to Xigaze. Trying to complete a busy schedule that included presiding over the inauguration ceremony of the stupa for the remains of the 5th-9th Bainqen Lamas, meeting with local government officials and monastery leaders, touching the heads of thousands of believers in a religious ritual, the 10th Bainqen Lama died of a sudden heart attack on January 28 at the age of 51.

Only three days after his demise, the State Council of the People's Republic of China made three important decisions in regard to the lama to preserve his remains; build a gilded stupa and a memorial palace for him; and search for his reincarnate soul boy.

The central government appropriated a total of 64 million yuan, together with 614 kg of gold and 275 kg of silver for the memorial hall and stupa projects. Construction of the stupa and hall began in September 1990 and was completed three years later, eight months ahead of time.

Built with modern building materials and technology, both the stupa and memorial hall are of ancient Tibetan style. The former stands inside the latter.

The ll.55-meter-high stupa looks like a long-necked bottle with a square platform. Covered with gold foil and nearly 7,000 precious stones, it is the first gilded stupa in Xigaze. The remains of the 10th Bainqen Lama, well preserved by the monastery in accordance with rites and rules of Tibetan Buddhism, were then placed inside the stupa for public worship.

The memorial hall, 35.25 meters in height, has a double-eave gilded roof. Gleaming in the sun, the roof catches one's eyes from several miles away. Its walls are made of well-cut stones and painted with dark red pigment, a color considered to represent the solemnity of Buddhism.

The Tashilhunpo Monastery has been enlarged several times since its establishment. Now it covers an area of about 150,000 square meters, with an enclosing wall of more than 3,000 meters meandering along the mountain slope. Inside the monastery there are 56 scripture halls and more than 3,600 monk quarters. The main structure, located at the upper part of the compound, includes two silver stupas respectively for the remains of the 1st Dalai Lama and the 4th Bainqen Lama, as well as those of the 5th thru 9th Bainqen Lamas; the newly built gilded stupa for the 10th Bainqen Lama; and the Hall of Buddha Maitreya (known as Buddha Qamba in Tibet). The statue of the Buddha Qamba, 26.2 meters in height and made of 115,000-kg pure brass, is believed to be the largest and highest indoor bronze statue of Buddha in the world.

‘Don't Forget Me, a Fat Monk'

At what turned out to be his last official banquet, held in January 1989 in Xigaze, the host Bainqen Lama himself presented hada (a silk scarf, usually white, used to show one's respect and congratulations to others among Tibetans and Mongolians) to each of the local officials and celebrities attending the party and said with a smile, "Please don't forget me, a fat monk," as if he knew that he would soon leave them forever. Few expected that a few days later the smiling "fat monk" would pass away, leaving behind endless sorrow and memories for those who knew him.

The whole country was shocked by the death, or nirvana in Buddhist terms, of the 10th Bainqen Lama, the highest Living Buddha the People's Republic ever lost. Memorial activities were held in Beijing, Tibet and other parts of the country.

With the government's approval and help, the Tashilhunpo Monastery has been searching for his reincarnated soul boy.

Initiated by the Garma Branch of the Gelug Sect, the practice of selecting incarnates for Living Buddhas is a traditional way of keeping Tibet's religious line of succession alive. By the mid-17th century, it had become an important means to choose the successor of a deceased religious leader in Tibet. A series of highly formularized rituals evolved through the years, and many of them remain intact to this day.

According to Living Buddha Qazha Qamba Chilie, director of the Democratic Management Committee of the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the search for the reincarnation of the 10th Bainqen Lama is expected to be completed in two to three years.

At present, he said, the work to find the soul boy is going smoothly in compliance with the rites and rules of Tibetan Buddhism and traditional practices, under the supervision of his Democratic Management Committee and in coordination with well-known Buddhists in Tibet.

Bainqen Erdeni Qoigyi Gyaincain was born in Xunhua County, Qinghai Province, in February 1938. He was chosen in 1941 as the reincarnation of the 9th Bainqen Lama who died in 1937,and became the 10th Bainqen Lama in 1949.

The word "Bainqen" first appeared in 1645, when the Mongolian chieftain Gushri Khan bestowed it upon the 4th Bainqen. The full title was "Bainqen Bogto," with Bainqen coming from the Tibetan "master scholar," and Bogto meaning "wise and brave man" in Mongolian.

In 1713, Qing Emperor Kangxi (ruled: 1662-1722) gave the 5th Bainqen the title "Bainqen Erdeni." Erdeni means "treasure" in Manchu. Since then all successive Bainqen Lamas have used the same title.

On October 1, 1949, the 11-year-old 10th Bainqen Lama sent a cable to Chairman Mao Zedong and Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, in which he congratulated the two Chinese leaders on the founding of the People's Republic of China, pledged his support to the central people's government and expressed his wish for the early liberation of Tibet.

In 1954, the lama, then 16 years old, was elected a member of the First NPC Standing Committee. He also served as vice-chairman of the second, fifth, sixth and seventh NPC Standing Committees.

The lama remained steadfast in his loyalty to the country even when he was politically hounded during the chaotic "cultural revolution" (1966-76). He was imprisoned for nine years and eight months, and released in October 1977. "I am the 10th Bainqen Lama, the number 10 is always auspicious for me," he said later, referring to the month when he was released.

A forthright and candid man, he never hesitated to speak his mind in regard to the interest of the nation. His straightforward character sometimes brought him trouble, as some people did not like his frankly critical attitude. However, more often than not, it drew people to him--lamas and laymen, VIPs and civilians alike, making it easier for them to get to know and build friendship with him.

He had not only a great following of believers, worshipers and students, but also many personal friends, including the late Premier Zhou Enlai, the late Marshal Chen Yi and the self-exiled Dalai Lama, with whom he had kept in touch through correspondence and telephone exchanges. In addition, he enjoyed good relationship with many journalists.

When the inauguration ceremony for his memorial hall and stupa was held in Xigaze, over 100 reporters rushed there from all over the country. The number of reporters, exceeding the expectations of the organizers, was unprecedented. According to a local official, many of them went not just to cover the event but out of admiration and friendship.

"I gave up all other reporting assignments to cover the inauguration," said a Beijing reporter, a close friend of the lama. "I wanted to pay my last respects to him. I couldn't afford to miss this chance, otherwise I would regret it for the rest of my life."

His Heritage

"Even though the state had financial problems, the State Council allocated a large amount of special funds to build this stupa and memorial palace. This is an unprecedented move in China, and a rare undertaking in the history of pagoda building worldwide," said Living Buddha Qazha at the inauguration ceremony.

From now on, he added, those who come to worship and visit the building will certainly understand that the CPC's policies are sincere and appropriate. They will also be impressed by the significance of the unity of Han and Tibetan nationalities, and the importance of the upholding a patriotic stand.

Yabxi Soinam Zhoima, 77,mother of the 10th Bainqen Lama, also attended the grand enshrining of the soul of her son. She said in her written speech that the stupa and the memorial hall are both symbols of the unity of all nationalities in China, reflecting the patriotism of the Tibetan lamas and the vast numbers of followers.

She said she would persist in the four tenets which her son held firmly to during his lifetime --love for the Party, for the motherland, for the nation and for his religion.

It is clear to his followers and to those who knew the Bainqen Lama personally that patriotism, a virtue he was always praising, is the major heritage he left for his believers and fellow countrymen. He will be remembered as the upright and outspoken rotund monk, and will also go down in history as a great Buddhist leader.

At the same time, people naturally feel that a religious leader, no matter how famous he is, will not leave a good reputation for following generations if he shows disloyalty to, or betrays his motherland.

All the previous Bainqen Lamas had loved the motherland and contributed a great deal to safeguarding the unity of the country. In his speech at the September 4 ceremony to inaugurate the stupa and memorial palace dedicated to the late 10th Bainqen Lama, Luo Gan, secretary-general of the State Council who then acted as the representative of the central authorities, spoke highly of the contributions the former Bainqen Lamas made. Luo said that after the founding of New China in 1949 the 10th Bainqen Lama inherited and displayed the gloriously patriotic spirit of all the previous Bainqen Lamas during various periods including those of the peaceful liberation, the democratic revolution and the socialist construction of Tibet. The 10th Bainqen Lama accumulated indelible meritorious deeds under the new historic conditions, the official added.

In 1980, according to an interpreter of the 10th Bainqen Lama,the Tibetan religious leader was invited to Deng Xiaoping's home. Deng said to him, "You are our country's best patriot."

The lama firmly opposed the aborted armed rebellion staged by the reactionary clique of the Tibetan upper strata in 1959. Also, he strongly condemned those who colluded with foreign forces to stir up riots in 1987 and 1988 in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

According to Zheng Ying, vice chairman of the Tibetan People's Congress and a long-time close friend of the lama, when hearing that there was a riot in Lhasa in 1987, the Bainqen Lama immediately made a phone call to the Tashilhunpo Monastery and demanded that none of the lamas become involved in the unrest. "If anyone in the monastery dares to take part (in the riot), I will publicly punish him, and will never let him live it down," the Bainqen Lama was quoted as saying.

The 10th Bainqen Lama had repeatedly told government officials, lamas and laymen that all the people should uphold the national unity in the same way they take care of their own eyes.

"Although the Bainqen Lama has passed away, his charisma will exist for ever and ever. We will carry out his behests, hold high the banner of patriotism and national unity, and contribute to the prosperity and progress of our motherland," said Zheng.

(This article appears in the 17th page, 44, 1993)