When I came across Living Buddha Gangchen in Nepal years ago, he was then residing in Italy. He has a good command of Buddhist Tantric theory and practice, as well as wide knowledge of Tibetan medicine. He is also active in propagating Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan medicine, especially in working to protect the psychic environment and promote charity undertakings. For this purpose, he has visited more than 30 countries and regions.

In December 1997, he worshipped the 11th Panchen Erdeni, when the young Tibetan Buddhist master performed rituals in Yonghegong Lamasery in Beijing. With help from some friends, we were able to visit him in his room at the Liangmaqiao Hotel in Beijing.

As we entered his room, we found him sitting cross-legged on his bed, holding Buddhist beads in his hand. His face glowing with health, Living Buddha Gangchen greeted us warmly and invited us to sit down.

Cherished Dream to Meet 11th Panchen Erdeni

Talking about his meeting with the 11th Panchen Erdeni, Living Buddha Gangchen said the 10th Panchen Erdeni had been a good friend. “His recitation of Buddhist scriptures still rings in my ears. It is so unfortunate he has passed away,” he added.

“It was my long-cherished dream to meet his incarnation. Now, my dream has come true, and I was glad to see that the 11th Panchen Erdeni is wise and benevolent.”

Reincarnation of 4th Living Buddha Gangchen

According to Living Buddha Gangchen, he was born into an ordinary peasant family in Sagya County, Xigaze on a summer’s day in 1941. At five, he was confirmed to be the incarnated soul boy of the 4th Living Buddha Gangchen with Gangchen Monastery.

The Biography of Living Buddha Gangchen, published outside China, says “His father is Soinan Dapei, and his mother Baicho. The boy was born at the same hour as 4th Living Buddha Gangchen and the time when the Buddha Sakyamuni was lecturing on the Four Axioms for the first time. He is very clever and could identify articles left behind by the Living Buddha of the previous generation. He was later confirmed to be the reincarnated soul boy of 4th Living Buddha Gangchen.”

The boy was enthroned as 5th Living Buddha Gangchen in Gangchen Monastery on June 4, 1945. He was five years old then, and stayed in the monastery to study Buddhist doctrines belonging to the Open and Secret Schools.

After this, he was sent to further his study in Tashilhungpo Monastery (in Xigaze), considered to be the mother monastery of Gangchen Monastery. At 13, he gained a good command of Tibetan grammar, poems, rhetoric and calendaring.

During his stay in Xigaze, he paid his first visit to the 10th Panchen Erdeni. Later on, he furthered his study in Sera Monastery, gaining the highest Buddhist academic degree of Geshi. He also went to study Tibetan medicine in Zhaibung Monastery.

Seven Years of Study in India

In 1964, the Living Buddha went to the World Sanskrit College of Arts in India, where he stayed to study ancient Sanskrit, modern Hindi, Nepalese, English and Italian, as well as Tibetan medicine, for seven years. This laid a solid foundation for him to create the self-treatment method unique to Buddhist Tantric practice. After this, he went to settle down in Italy.

Living Buddha Gangchen won his Geshi degree in 1970. In the ensuing years, he gained many other degrees in India and the United States. He gained such fame that he was invited to treat the mother of the king of Bhutan. His superb medical skills worked wonders, and the lady recovered under his treatment and care. After Living Buddha Gangchen became a man known to all in South Asia, even people in the West sought medical treatment from him.

Self Healing Therapy Unique to Tantric Practice

In 1981, Living Buddha Gangchen created the self healing therapy unique to Tantric practice on the basis of his experience and in light of the tense life prevailing in the West. The therapy features mediation therapy unique to Buddhist Tantric study, including color therapy, hand print therapy, symbol therapy, imagination therapy, visual therapy, breathing therapy, movement therapy and some others that are all loved by Buddhist followers. Such therapy seeks efforts to overcome the psychic barrier, and create inner-heart calm and purification of the mind. It proves to be good for the followers, especially the young, to remove unfavorable psyche resulting from fear, suspicion, loneliness and anger and therefore to tap their own potentials in work, study and life.

Living Buddha Gangchen’s advocacy of psychic health has received wide support in the international arena, and the United Nations has offered its affirmation and support. He was invited to attend various kinds of international conferences. And UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali received him at the Second Conference on Human Residence and Environment held in Istanbul in 1996.

Living Buddha Gangchen’s book on Tantric self healing therapy has been translated into more than 10 languages including Chinese, Tibetan, English, French, German, Dutch, Mongolian and Russian. And the book is complete with a set of tapes dubbed in Tibetan, English and Chinese.

Involvement in Charity Undertakings

Liing Buddha Gangchen gave 20,000 Yuan to Changqug Township,Sagya County in 1994 for the repair of a school in 1994, and nine 10-inch statues of Qamba Buddha to Tashilhungpo Monastery, Gandain Monastery, Zhaibung Monastery and Sera Monastery.

This constitutes part of the charity undertakings he undertakes.

He has also donated US,000 to Beijing Fund for Aid to Tibet, which was used mainly for construction of hospitals in the Tibetan-inhabited areas.

Living Buddha Gangchen has set up relief institutions in India, Nepal, Brazil, Argentina and Chile, providing home to the homeless old people, orphans and the disabled. He has also joined hands with a non-governmental organ in Germany to set up a leprosy hospital in Nepal, providing free medical treatment.