The Sixth Panchen Lama Losang Palden Yeshe

The Sixth Panchen Lama, Losang Palden Yeshe (1738– 1780), was a prominent scholar and spiritual leader of the Gelug Order. This reformed lineage, retrospectively founded by Tsongkhapa (see the sculpture in this case), had ruled Tibet for a century. By now the Gelug were wearing pointed hats, as in this sculpture, as marks of scholastic affiliation.

The Panchen Lamas were important politicians. In 1779, the Sixth Panchen Lama embarked on a historic pilgrimage to Beijing, invited by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty. The Panchen Lama performed consecration ceremonies, taught Dharma to the imperial court, and received lavish honors from the Qianlong emperor. These honors included funds for printing the Buddhist canon on a massive scale. But the Sixth refused to fully submit to Qing imperial policies. His recalcitrance has been cited as a motive for potential foul play—the Sixth passed away at the Qianlong emperor’s palace of food poisoning in 1780.

In meditation Lobang Palden Yeshe emphasized the study of Madhyamaka (Middle Way philosophy), Lamrim (Stages of the Path), and Vajrayana visualization practices. As with such systems the Sixth’s teachings guided practitioners toward the realization of emptiness and altruism as the groundwork for meditative transmutation of the personality in subsequent mandala meditation methods.