Teaching and Learning about The Panchen Lama
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (Ge-duun Cho-kee Nee-ma), born in Tibet on April 25, 1989. At the age of six, he became the world’s youngest political prisoner,
and has not been seen nor heard from in public by the since. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was not imprisoned for anything he had done, but because of who people believe him to be:
The Panchen Lama of Tibet.
This story is not only about the human rights of this one Tibetan. The case of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is about the future leadership and survival of his religion,
Tibetan Buddhism.
It is also about the larger conflict between two countries, Tibet and China, which have been immersed in a tragic struggle since China occupied
Tibet in 1950. Today, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima would be 18 years old and the same questions persist about his whereabouts and well being as
when he disappeared.
For those educators who would like to discuss the situation of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima with their students, at the bottom of this page is a link to a short story about the life of Panchen Lama,
originally written for FACES magazine in 1999, but hopefully still timely today. It was written for a middle school audience, but is age appropriate for
late elementary and high school students. The story includes discussion questions and resources to learn more about the situation of the Panchen Lama’s
and how to get involved.
Questions for Discussions and Assignments
Should people be imprisoned for their religious beliefs?
How is this situation a violation of the rights of a child?
What do you think about the Panchen Lama situation?
Who is rightful Eleventh Panchen Lama?
What about the future of Gedhun Choeki Nyima?
What can you do to help Gedhun Choekyi Nyima?
Curricular Ideas
Have students read the article, The World's Youngest Political Prisoner. Use the questions above for class discussion and writing assignments, and the suggested source material below for further inquiry and research with students.
Read the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights and see what it states about freedom of religion.
Read the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child and see what it states about the situation of the Panchen Lama.
What connections can be made between the situation of the 11th Panchen Lama and the future of The Dalai Lamas?
Grades K-4
Grades 5-8
Grades 9-12
Periodicals and Discovery
The Lives of the Panchen Lamas, Lungta, Vol. 10, Winter 1999, Published by the Amne Machin Institute, Dharamsala, India (available through Snow Lion, (800) 950-0313
Sun Without a Moon, by Alex Shoumatoff, Vanity Fair, No. 432, August 1996
The Boys Who Would Be Lama, by Elizabethg Hilton, Independent (London), April 21, 1996
One Boy's Arrest Shows a Broad Repression in Tibet, by Seth Faison, The New York Times, March 6, 1996
Faces: People, Places and Cultures, October, 1999, Cobblestone Publishing
Videography
Tibet's Stolen Child, A Video Documentary by Garthwait and Griffen Films and The International Campaign for Tibet, 1999, 56 minutes. Contact ICT at www.savetibet.org
Suggested Resources for Educators
The World's Youngest Political Prisoner (PDF)
Tibet Related Sections
