The Golden Urn refers to a method for selecting Tibetan

reincarnations Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

by drawing lots or tally sticks from a Golden Urn introduced by the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 1793. After the

Sino-Nepalese War The Sino-Nepalese War ( ne, नेपाल-चीन युद्ध), also known as the Sino-Gorkha war and in Chinese the campaign of Gorkha (), was an invasion of Tibet by Nepal from 1788 to 1792. The war was initially fought between Nepa ...

, the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

promulgated the 29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet, which included regulations on the selection of

lamas Lamas may refer to: * the plural form of Lama, a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Places *Lamas Province, Peru **Lamas District ** Lamas, Peru, the capital of Lamas Province and seat of Lamas District *Lamas (Braga), a paris ...

including the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

and

Panchen Lama The Panchen Lama () is a tulku of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition, with its spiritual authority second only to Dalai Lama. Along with the council of high lamas, he ...

. The Golden Urn was introduced to prevent cheating and corruption in the selection process. In 1792, the

published article

The Discourse of Lama The Discourse of Lama《喇嘛说》is an article written by the Qianlong Emperor in the 57th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty (1792) to elaborate on the policy (Article One of The 29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing ...

to explain the history of lamas and the cases of cheating and corruption in the reincarnation system, while also explaining why he thought it would be a fair system of choosing reincarnated

rinpoche Rinpoche, also spelled Rimboche and Rinboku (), is an honorific term used in the Tibetan language. It literally means "precious one", and may refer to a person, place, or thing—like the words "gem" or "jewel" (Sanskrit: ''Ratna''). The word con ...

lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...

s, as opposed to choosing reincarnated

s based on private designation, or based on one person's decision. Also, it's to eliminate greedy family with multiple reincarnated rinpoches, lamas.

History

Qing dynasty

The Golden Urn originated in a decree issued by the

in 1792, after the Qing victory in the Second Invasion of the Sino-Nepalese War. Article One of the decree, the 29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet, was designed to be used in the selection of rinpoches or lamas and other high offices within Tibetan Buddhism, including the

s and Mongolian lamas. In Qianlong Emperor's article

( zh, 喇嘛说) which was published also in 1792, he explained the history of lamas and the reincarnation system, he inferred that the reincarnation system is only man-made, and creating rules is only to facilitate those monks, and to eliminate drawbacks associated with the man-made reincarnation. In the first article of 29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet, it states that the purpose of Golden Urn is to ensure prosperity of

Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous ...

, and to eliminate cheating and corruption in the selection process. Mike Dash argued that the Urn's real purpose was to allow the Qing Emperors of

to control the selection process. Two Golden Urns were issued by the Qianlong Emperor: one is enshrined in

Jokhang Temple The Jokhang (, ), also known as the Qoikang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery and Zuglagkang ( or Tsuklakang), is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Tibetans, i ...

in Lhasa and is to be used for choosing Dalai and Panchen Lama reincarnations; the other is in

Yonghe Temple The Yonghe Temple (, "Palace of Peace and Harmony"), also known as the Yonghe Lamasery, or popularly as the Lama Temple, is a temple and monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism located on 12 Yonghegong Street, Dongcheng District, Beij ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

for choosing Mongolian Lama, known as

Jebtsundamba Khutughtu The Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, , ; zh, c=哲布尊丹巴呼圖克圖, p=Zhébùzūn Dānbā Hūtúkètú; bo, རྗེ་བཙུན་དམ་པ་ཧུ་ཐུག་ཐུ་, Jetsün Dampa Hutuktu; "Venerable Excellent incarnate lama" ar ...

, reincarnations. The specific ritual to be followed when using the Golden Urn was written by the

8th Dalai Lama Jamphel Gyatso (1758–1804) was the 8th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Born in 1758 at Lhari Gang (Tob-rgyal Lha-ri Gang) in the Upper Ü-Tsang region of southwestern Tibet his father, Sonam Dhargye and mother, Phuntsok Wangmo, were originally from Kham ...

Jamphel Gyatso Jamphel Gyatso (1758–1804) was the 8th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Born in 1758 at Lhari Gang (Tob-rgyal Lha-ri Gang) in the Upper Ü-Tsang region of southwestern Tibet his father, Sonam Dhargye and mother, Phuntsok Wangmo, were originally from Kha ...

. The names and dates of birth of each candidate were to be written in the Manchu, Han, and Tibetan languages on metal or ivory slips and placed in the golden urn. After prayers before the statue of the Jowo in the

Jokhang The Jokhang (, ), also known as the Qoikang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery and Zuglagkang ( or Tsuklakang), is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Tibetans, in ...

temple in Lhasa, a slip was drawn. The 7th Panchen Lama, Palden Tenpai Nyima, used the Golden Urn for the first time in 1822 to choose the 10th Dalai Lama,

Tsultrim Gyatso Ngawang Lobzang Jampel Tsultrim Gyatso (ngag dbang blo bzang 'jam dpal tshul khrims rgya mtsho) or Tsultrim Gyatso (29 March 1816 – 30 September 1837) was the 10th Dalai Lama of Tibet, and born in Chamdo. He was fully ordained in the Gelug s ...

Modern

On 12 August 1927, the Central Government mandated that before the publication of new laws, all laws in history regarding Tibetan Buddhism should continue unless there were conflicts with new doctrine or new laws of the Central Government. In August 1929, the Supreme Court of the Central Government stated that before the publication of new laws, laws in history regarding Tibet, regarding reincarnation of rinpoches or lamas were applicable In 1935, the Ordinance of Lama Temple Management ( zh, 管理喇嘛寺廟條例) was published by the Central Government of China. Article 2 states that reincarnated lamas are limited to those who were reincarnated previously in history, unless it was approved by the Central Government. Article 5 states that all monasteries/temples and lamas must be registered with

Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission The Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission (MTAC) was a ministry-level commission of the Executive Yuan in the Republic of China. It was disbanded on 15 September 2017. History The first model was created during the Qing dynasty in 1636 ...

. Article 7 states that the methods for reincarnation, appointment, rewards and punishments, registration, etc. of lamas shall be drafted by the

and submitted to the

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is the Premier, who is appointed by the President of the Republic of China, and requires confirmation by the Legislative Yuan. ...

for approval. In 1936, based on articles 2 and 7 of the Ordinance of Lama Temple Management ( zh, 管理喇嘛寺廟條例), the Method of Reincarnation of Lamas ( zh, 喇嘛轉世辦法) was published by the

of the Central Government. Article 3 states that the death of lamas including the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama should be reported to

, soul boys should be found, reported to and checked by

, and a lot-drawing ceremony with the Golden Urn system should be held separately. Article 6 states that local governments should invite officials from the Central Government to take care of the sitting-in-the-bed ceremony. Article 7 states that soul boys should not be searched for from the current lama families. In 2007, the State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5 ( zh, 国家宗教事务局令第5号) was published by the Central Government. Article 7 states that no group or individual may carry out activities related to searching for and identifying the reincarnated soul boy of the Living Buddha without authorization. Article 8 states that a lot-drawing ceremony with the Golden Urn is applicable to those rinpoches, or lamas who were reincarnated previously in history. Requests for exemption are handled by

State Administration for Religious Affairs The State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) was an executive agency directly under the State Council of the People's Republic of China which oversaw religious affairs in the country. Originally created in 1951 as the Religious Affairs ...

, and for those with great impact, requests for exemption are handled by the State Council.

Usage

The Dalai Lamas The Panchen Lamas

Notes

References