The 3rd Panchen Erdeni

The 3rd Panchen Erdeni - Ensapa Lobsang D?ndrup

Panchen Erdeni is the great Living Buddha of Gelug Sect in Tibet Buddhism history along with Dalai Lama. The 3rd Panchen Erdeni (Panchen Lama) is named Ensapa Lobsang D?ndrup. He was born in Ensa Area nearby Shigatse in 1505 during Ming Dynasty. It is said that the he was one of the families of the 2nd Panchen Erdeni - Sonam Qyuelang. When he was 11 years old he went into the monastery and took Laritsipa Tapa Tuntsu as his teacher in Latse Monastery. He started to learn a lot of classic Buddhist scriptures. Later on, he learned a lot of Tibetan Exotoric classics and Tibetan Exoteric classics in Tashilhunpo Monastery and Tashigangpo Monastery in Shigatse. A few years later, he got smallpox in Shigatse Prefecture when he was 16 years old. He was finally cured by Qyuegyi Dogyi. Afterwards, he took Qyuegyi Dogyi as his teacher and became the major great disciple of Qyuegyi Dogyi. Ensapa Lobsang D?ndrup learned the way to cure the sick of smallpox and then cured other people in the same way. He became more popular since then on.

When he was 33 years old he traveled many areas of southern Tibet and preached Tibetan Buddhist scriptures of Gelug Sect. More and more people became the believers of him. In his old age he got back to Ensa Area. He studied Tibetan Buddhist classics and created many great religious writings in his ashram. His works are collected and named Wensa Collected Works by later generations. Ensapa Lobsang D?ndrup is subsequently confirmed as the reincarnation of Sonam Qyuelang. In 1566 he was died in Wensa Monastery during Ming Dynasty. Afterwards, he was subsequently confirmed as the 3rd Panchen Erdeni.

The history of Panchen Erdeni

The lineage has started during the period of the 4th Panchen Lama - Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen and then succeeded successfully. Just like the history of Dalai Lama, the 1st, 2nd and the 3rd Panchen Erdeni were all subsequently confirmed by later generations.

Panchen has been named since AD 1645. This year, Mongolian Gushi khan conferred Lobsang Ch?kyi - the Great Master of Tashilhunpo Monastery, the name of Panchen Bokdo. Panchen Erdeni is regarded as the reincarnation of the Amitabha Buddha.

Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen was the Great Master of Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse Prefecture. He was the representative figure of Gelug Sect in southern Tibet. After the death of the 4th Dalai Lama, he went to Lhasa and took charge of finding the reincarnation soul boy. In order to find the reincarnation soul boy successfully, he eradicated Lhazang Khan with the help of Mongolian Gushi Khan in 1641. After Mongolian entered Tibet region, he took advantage of the Qing Dynasty to drive off the Mongolians again.

After his death, his inheritor, Lobsang Yeshe was conferred as the Panchen Erdeni by Qing Dynasty in 1713. Panchen Erdeni was the name influenced by Sanskrit language, Tibetan language, and Manchu Language. Pan is the Sanskrit language and Chen is the Tibetan language. Panchen refers to the great master. Erdeni is Manchu language. It means the treasure. Besides, people also called Panchen Lama. Lobsang Yeshe thought that his was the 5th Panchen Erdeni. Therefore Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen was subsequently confirmed as the 4th Panchen Erdeni.