Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai (1940-)Patriotic Living Buddha

Pagbalha is the largest Living Buddha succession system of Tibetan Buddhism in Qamdo， southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Every Pagbalha Hutuktu （“Grand Living Buddha”） in history had a direct or indirect relationship with the central government of China. Notably， the 11th Pagbalha Hutuktu， Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai， brought the relationship to a new height. More importantly， he made remarkable contributions to Tibet’s democratic reform and the establishment of Tibet Autonomous Region as a member of its preparatory committee.

Born in 1940， Geleg Namgyai was recognized as the 11th incarnation of Pagbalha Hutuktu at the age of two. In 1792， the Qing government formulated a method for confirming and approving the boys carrying the reincarnated souls of senior Living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism by “drawing lots from the golden urn.” Historically， Pagbalha Hutuktu was the first Living Buddha to be confirmed through this method， and served as the supreme religious and administrative leader of Qamdo.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949， the central government formulated policy for the peaceful liberation of Tibet. However， with support of some foreign imperialist forces， Regent Taktra Ngawang Sungrab， who controlled the local government of Tibet， deployed troops in Qamdo in an attempt to separate Tibet from China by arms. In October 1950， the People’s Liberation Army （PLA） crossed the Jinsha River and liberated Qamdo.

After the Qamdo Battle， as the supreme religious leader of Qamdo， Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai， then 10， chose to stay and sent representatives to welcome the PLA troops with gifts such as hada（a long strip of silk）. In December of the same year， he was elected vice chairman of the Qamdo Liberation Committee.

In 1952， he began learning Buddhist sutras at Sera Monastery in Lhasa， and obtained the title of Geshe （a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for accomplished monks and nuns）. In 1956， Qamdo planned to carry out democratic reform aiming to eliminate slavery in the region. Although the reform would infringe on the privileges of upper lamas， Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai gave full support to the plan. At the time， his monastery governed 58 subordinate temples and 7，600 households of tenant farmers. He voluntarily made the region under his jurisdiction a pilot area to implement democratic reform. That year， on the eve of the National Day of China， Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai was invited to watch the celebration in Beijing， where top state leaders including Chairman Mao Zedong met with him.

In 1956， Tibet Autonomous Region Preparatory Committee（TARPC） was established， and Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai became a member of the Preparatory Committee and vice chairman of the Religious Affairs Committee.

In 1959， some aristocrats in Tibet， hoping to retain their slaveholding privileges， tore up the 17-Aritcle Agreement and launched an armed insurrection in Lhasa. Soinam Gyamco， brother of Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai， was stoned to death by the rebels when he tried to stop them outside Norbulingka Palace.

To put down the insurrection， the State Council of China decided to dismiss the former local government of Tibet and let the TARPC exercise the power of the local government.

“The 10th Panchen Lama served as acting chairman of the Preparatory Committee，” Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai recalled in an article. “Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme and I were vice chairmen. The committee called on building a democratic， socialist Tibet. From then on， Tibetan serfs embarked on a road to self-liberation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. This was a significant turning point in the history of Tibet.”

In September 1965， the Tibet Autonomous Region was officially established. Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai was elected vice chairman of the People’s Committee and People’s Political Consultative Conference of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Moreover， he has held positions such as vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference， vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress （NPC）， honorary president of the Buddhist Association of China， and chairman of the People’s Political Consultative Conference of the Tibet Autonomous Region， making remarkable contributions to the development of Tibet and the spread of Tibetan Buddhism.

Six decades have passed since he became a member of the TARPC in 1956. Over those years， Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai grew from a boy to a senior and witnessed Tibet’s transformation from poverty to prosperity.