The 10^th Panchen Lama Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen was born in Amdo, Eastern Tibet, in 1938. he was recognized as the reincarnation of 9^th Panchen Lama by Flak Lakho Rinpoche, and in 1951 was confirmed by the 14^th Dalai Lama as the 10^th Panchen Lama. In 1952 he met Dalai Lama in Lhasa and then took up his seat in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet.

Whilst maintaining good relations with the Chinese, the Panchen Lama was skillful in promoting the welfare of the Tibetan people. Realising that the Communist Chinese were developing a strategy which would destroy Tibetan culture, denying their stated fundamental policies of no racial discrimination and the freedom to practice religion, he submitted a 70,000 character petition demanding that the Chinese Government investigate the policy.  

The Chinese Government accused the Panchen Lama of being anti-Chinese and counter-revolutionary activities. In 1964, at a public meeting in Lhasa, he was removed from all public positions of authority. He was openly criticised and humiliated, and later taken to China. In 1966, he was subjected to a series of 'struggle session' in the National Institute of minorities in Beijing, and was imprisoned for nine years and eight months, being released in 1975. In 1979, Panchen Lama was appointed Deputy Chairman of the national Peoples politics Consultative Committee and deputy Chairman of the National Peoples Congress. He traveled widely in the Tibetan regions of Amdo and Kham. His message urged Tibetans to maintain god relations with the Chinese. He also strongly advised them to keep alive the spirit to," Be a Tibetan" and "Be for Tibetan cause". In 1985, in the Monlam festival after the Tibetan New Year in Lhasa, The Panchen Lama said, "His Holiness the Dalai Lama and I are spiritual friends. There are no differences between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and me. Some people are trying to create discord between us. This will not succeed".

At Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the Panchen Lama built a memorial Stupa which he consecrated and inaugurated to replace the silver stupas of the past Panchen Lamas, destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Shortly after this ceremony, on 28^th January 1989, The Panchen Lama passed away in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.