After several years of speculations and continuous searches, the 14th Dalai Lama has finally disclosed the identity of the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, who is an eight-year-old U.S.-born Mongolian boy. He will now lead Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia, and his appointment was revealed in a ceremony held in India. The ceremony was held in Dharamshala, a city in India’s Himachal Pradesh state where the Dalai Lama is living in exile. According to the new leader’s title, he will be recognized officially as the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoché, the third most important spiritual leader in the Tibetan Buddhism community.
The 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa will not only hold his title, but he will also be responsible for crucial roles, including recognizing the next Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, the second-most important authority in the religion. The position of the 10th reincarnation has been vacant since the death of the boy’s predecessor, which took place on March 1, 2012, in Mongolia.
The identity of the boy has not been revealed due to the fear of being targeted by the Chinese government, but reports indicate that he is one of a pair of twin boys named Aguidai and Achiltai Altannar, who were born in the United States. According to sources, the twin’s parents are Altannar Chinchuluun, a university mathematics professor, and Monkhnasan Narmandakh, a national resources conglomerate executive. Their grandma, Garamjav Tseden, is a previous member of the Mongolian Parliament.
China has been aiming to seat a pro-Chinese government Dalai Lama. In 2011, the Chinese Communist Party, through the foreign ministry, announced that the next His Holiness would only be appointed by Beijing, while the other candidate would receive no recognition. Since the Panchen Lama holds a significant role in recognizing the next Dalai Lama, the CCP tried to install its own Panchen Lama after the mysterious disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a six-year-old boy who was named the second-highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, in May 1995. Six months after the arrest, Beijing revealed the “real” reincarnation of the Panchen Lama as Gyaltsen Norbu, who was born in Tibet to two Communist Party members.
The Dalai Lama had earlier revealed in 2016, during his visit to Mongolia’s Ulan Bator, that the forthcoming head of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia had been born, and the search was already underway for the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa. China had retaliated following the Dalai Lama’s visit by imposing fees on commodity imports from Mongolia and placing additional transit costs for deliveries passing through China’s Inner Mongolia.
In conclusion, the reveal of the new 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa in Mongolia is a significant development, and it remains to be seen how China will react to the news. Meanwhile, the 8-year-old boy will continue to serve in his new role, and the Tibetan Buddhism community will look forward to his leadership.
