Many theories of Zen Buddhism are also familiar to countless people. The famous verse of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, "There is no tree in Bodhi, and the mirror is not a platform. There is nothing in it, so where can dust be caused?" is even more well-known.

As a religion from India, Buddhism has undergone thorough localization after entering China and has become an integral part of traditional culture.

Many theories of Zen are also familiar to countless people. Sixth Patriarch Huineng’s famous verse "There is no Bodhi tree, and the mirror is not a platform. There is nothing in it, so where can dust be caused?" is even more well-known.

In fact, Buddhism split into multiple sects after entering China, but Zen is the most well-known and ordinary people understand it.

, and the public knows very little about the Tantric Buddhism, which is comparable to its number of believers. Although these two are in the same house, they are "two flowers bloom, each with one branch".

Tibetan Buddhism has distinct characteristics. Its religious system, which is both Mahayana and Hinayana, practices both exoteric and esoteric, and emphasizes both insight and practice, is very different from Zen.

Although many people know it through literature and film and television works, they do not know any specific details.

For example, the public knows that Tibetan Buddhism has a system of inheritance of living Buddhas, and they also know that there are two factions: "Dalai Lama" and "Panchen Erdeni". But many people don’t understand their differences and status.

was born with the same root

To distinguish the status of the "Dalai Lama" and the "Panchen Lama", we must first understand why Tibetan Buddhism has a system of living Buddhas.

After Buddhism was introduced to China from India through Western Regions , there were two routes of transmission. One was to pass through Hexi Corridor and enter Chang'an ; the other was to pass through Kunlun Mountain into Qinghai-Tibet Plateau .

The latter's many years of legacy independent form a completely different religion, folk customs and culture from the Central Plains. After Buddhism merged with it, it also became a new sect that was very different from the local area.

The emergence of the living Buddha system has a lot to do with the inheritance of the temple. It is different from the early entry of the feudal society in the Central Plains region. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has remained in the tribal system and slave society for a long time. Under social structures such as

, religious clergy often have extremely high status, and can easily accumulate a large amount of wealth and even gain power comparable to secular kings.

After Tantric Buddhism dominated Tibet, its religious leaders had authority that was not inferior to the royal family.

At this time, a problem arose: When the abbot of a temple passes away, who should inherit its believers and wealth?

The controversy caused by inheritance rights caused many Tantric factions to fall apart. It was not until 1288 that the Karma Kagyu Sect first created the reincarnation system of living Buddhas, and it was not until 1288 that the Karma Kagyu Sect that had been troubled by a long time solved the problem that had been troubled for a long time.

This system is clear in logic, simple in operation, and has the supreme theological color, and the effect is immediate.

Other Tantric sects such as Nyingma sect , Jueang sect , Gelug sect have absorbed this system and written it into the doctrine.

For a long time, the development of Tibetan Buddhism was very chaotic, with many major factions and constant conflicts between them.

It was not until the founding of the Yuan Dynasty that the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was unified by it, and the major factions of Tantric Buddhism began to merge and grow.

After a series of debates and confrontations, the Gelug School became the orthodox of Tibetan Buddhism. It was later known as Huangshu .

The one who accomplished this feat was Tsongkhapa . As the master of Tantric teachings, this monk completed the review of the classics with his own strength.

Then he also formulated various precepts to make the organization of Tantric Buddhism strict and orderly.

With outstanding contributions, Master Tsongkhapa became the most influential monk in the history of Tantric Buddhism, and his reputation is still passed down by all Tibetans.

After his death, his great disciple Jia Caojie was extremely prestige and undisputedly inherited Tsongkhapa's mantle. Unfortunately, this master was old at that time and soon followed his master.

Master Tsongkhapa had a different teaching throughout his life and accepted many disciples. It’s a pity that none of the remaining disciples could completely convince the public.

The second disciple Ke Zhujie and the closed disciple Gentun Juba each have their own advantages, and they both have a large number of followers around them.

In the end, the Gelug Sect was divided into two branches: the second disciple Ke Zhujie inherited Gandan Temple , and was later posthumously considered the first Panchen Lama.

, while Gentun Juba founded the Tashilunpo Monastery. His Buddhist has profound attainments and has gained a foothold within a few years. In , the Qing Dynasty was posthumously considered the Dalai Lama. After

, these two factions chose the Living Buddha inheritance system, and left Tibet two major inheritance systems: "Dalai Lama" and "Panchen Erdeni".

Canonization from the imperial court

Seeing this, I believe many people will have questions, why are the "Dalai" and "Panchen Lama" posthumously sealed, and how did their bans come into being?

In fact, the two major living Buddha systems of Tantric Buddhism were established very early, but their official names were both written by the Emperor of Central Plains.

After the Gelug Sect split, the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama chose to preach in different regions. Although these two factions were not as powerful as the same, they were also strangers.

Panchen Lama inherited the orthodox of Master Tsongkhapa. Its development was better at the beginning and was extremely influential among the Tibetan people.

However, after the Dalai Lama series was passed down to the third generation, a person who left his name in history appeared, allowing this faction to come from behind.

This third Dalai Lama is the promoter of peace between China and Mongolia, the famous Sonangato. When he inherited the faction leader, he caught the Mongolian Tumote tribe attacking Qinghai, whose leader Altan Khan was a devout Buddhist.

After Altan Khan entered the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, he visited Sonangacuo devoutly and invited the latter to preach. The two established a deep friendship over and over again.

However, Sonangacuo was very dissatisfied with Altan Khan's arbitrarily slaughter of small and medium-sized tribes and indiscriminately killing innocent people, and his persuasion was fruitless.

At this time, Ming Dynasty quietly sent an envoy to visit Sonangacuo, hoping that he could guide Altan Khan to give up invasion of the Central Plains.

Sonangato, who has a Buddha's heart, readily promised this peace request. He took advantage of the opportunity of preaching and constantly "brainwashing" Altan Khan, making him let go of his obsession.

1578, Altan Khan, who completely converted to Buddhism, put down his butcher knife and withdrew his troops to Mongolia. After the

message was spread to Beijing, Wanli was very grateful for the great contribution made by Sonangacuo and ordered the reward as soon as possible.

Ministry of Rites After consultation, formally decided to recognize Sonangacuo's religious and secular status, and grant him a golden book to the canonization, giving him the title of "Dalai Lama".

was recognized by the Central Plains dynasty. Sonamgarto's status on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been rising steadily, becoming the leader of Tantric Buddhism in one fell swoop. Then he immediately posthumously conferred the title of "first Dalai Lama" and "second Dalai Lama".

After that, the connection between the Dalai Lama Living Buddha and the Central Plains dynasty became very close. Even if the latter has dynasties change, his status will not be affected.

In 1652 AD, the fifth generation of Chi Balusang Gyatso came to the capital to meet the saint. Shunzhi issued the golden book and seal of "The Great Good and Freedom of the West, the Buddha, the World, Buddhism, Ordinary Vachiladanla Dalai Lama".

With the endorsement of the Qing Dynasty, the influence of the Dalai Lama continued to rise and had a nearly transcendent position in Tibet.

However, the situation where the "Dalai Lama" family dominates did not last long, and the Central Plains dynasty has always been quite wary of them. In order to prevent changes, the emperor finally decided to support an opponent with equal strength.

Whether in terms of historical status, folk influence or Buddhist attainments, the Panchen Lama is the best choice.

1713, Kangxi officially issued the gold book seal for the fifth Panchen Lasang Yixi. At this point, the title of "Panchen Erdeni" was officially established and began to be on par with the Dalai Lama.

Comparison of the status of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama

Due to the intervention of the sectarian history and the Central Plains dynasty, the relationship between the "Dalai" and the "Panchen Lama" can be described as complex, and the status division of the two is also ambiguous and difficult to clarify.

But what is certain is that the enthronement ritual system and the enthronement specifications given by the Central Plains dynasty are completely consistent, and the two are completely comparable in the emperor's mind.

When discussing factional status, many people like to emphasize the theory of origin. They believe that although the Panchen Lama was the senior brother of the Dalai Lama on the surface.

However, the former is to recruit disciples on behalf of the master and the younger generation of the masters and brothers are taught and led by him, so the Panchen Lama should have a higher status.

But there are also a lot of opposition to this statement. The latter believes that the Dalai Lama was a closed disciple of Master Tsongkhapa. The master attached great importance to him and was likely to be teaching Buddhism personally. The so-called recruitment of disciples on behalf of the master may not be valid for the Dalai Lama.

Secondly, the relationship between the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama has always been complicated and it is difficult to make a conclusion.

Although the fourth-generation Panchen Lama once preached and preached the Dharma to the fifth-generation Dalai Lama, received the precepts and gave him the Dharma name, and accepted him as his disciple. But after his death, the "Fifth Dalai Lama" also accepted the "Fifth Panchen Lama" as his disciple. The two living Buddhas, the "Dalai" and the "Panchen Lama" after

, also had masters and apprentices, and it was unrealistic to distinguish status by relying on the master-apprentice relationship.

Analysis status should be firmly seen to see their influence in religion and the people. is undoubtedly better than the Dalai Lama within Tantric Buddhism.

The latter is known in Tibet as the human body of " Guanyin Bodhisattva ", while the former has always been regarded as the incarnation of "Amitabha" walking on the earth.

To be honest, as the "Three Saints of the West" that are vigorously praised in the classics, Guanyin Bodhisattva does have a high status, but it cannot be compared with Amitabha Buddha in the end.

It can be seen from this that the Panchen Lama occupied a more orthodox position within Tantric Buddhism.

However, when discussing the influence of the people, they reversed two levels. The "Dalai Lama" is the true leader of the unity of politics and religion. With a shout, millions of believers follow him.

In the hearts of most Tibetans, the Dalai Lama is the actual ruler.

They not only have endorsements from the Central Plains dynasty, but also occupy the political, economic and cultural center of Tibet - Lhasa. From any perspective, they are more influential than the Panchen Lama.

And although the emperor believes that the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama have the same status, in the eyes of officials stationed in Tibet, the Dalai Lama is the real person in charge.

When they encounter problems, they will seek the Dalai Lama's opinions as soon as possible. As for the Panchen Lama's ideas, they are not that important.

Buddhism is a religion that needs to be worldly, so the secular status must be cherished, and in this regard, the Dalai Lama really has its advantages.

Why is the Dalai Lama more powerful

The status of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama is complicated and difficult to distinguish, essentially because it is difficult to unify religious status and secular status.

Panchen Erdeni is a standard ascetic school. Their temples are often built in few places, and the constraints on believers are obviously insufficient.

Moreover, this faction believes in the world and practices, values ​​the improvement of Buddhist cultivation, and rarely involves secular activities. Doctrines like

have given birth to many masters who understand Buddhism and have infinite wisdom. Under their leadership, the Panchen Lama continued to promote the scriptures and the religious status was rising steadily.

But accordingly, their contact with the Central Plains dynasty and ordinary people became few. The Dalai Lama has a more sense of participation in this regard, so he naturally gained recognition from more believers and gained more power.

In addition, the power of the Panchen Lama will be weaker than that of the Dalai Lama, which is also related to the missionary areas of the two. After breaking up with the family, the Panchen Lama stayed in the Tantric Sacred Scene - Shigatse . What they ruled was the area hidden behind , including Ali , Naqu and other poor places.

The Dalai Lama occupies the former Tibet region, which is closer to Sichuan and Qinghai, and is more livable in both the environment and the climate.

So the majority of the population in Tibet is concentrated in the area where the Dalai Lama preaches, so they naturally have more influence.

Conclusion

Strictly speaking, "Panchen Erdeni" and "Dalai Lama" are two living Buddhas with similar status.

is just in the eyes of ordinary people, the Dalai Lama, who has more audiences and influences, has more power in the secular society and is more like a ruler.

However, for true Tantric believers, the judgment of status depends more on the study and promotion of Buddhism. Therefore, in their minds, the answer may be completely different.

In this way, it is not necessary to force the status of the two, and ordinary people only need to respect them.

For Tibetan Buddhism, the "Dalai Lama" and the "Panchen Erdeni" are perfect complementary, and both are indispensable.