The golden urn method of selecting a reincarnated lama involves writing candidates’ names, placing them in a special golden urn, and drawing a name. It was instituted by the Qing dynasty in 1792 to allow Chinese oversight of Tibetan selections of important reincarnating lamas such as the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. In 2007 the modern Chinese government mandated use of the golden urn for identifying these “living Buddhas.”