. >> arjia rinpoche (speaking tibetan): >> narrator: arjia rinpoche now runs a monastery in the unitedn tibetan buddhism. >> rinpoche: >> narrator: he says he was at the heart of a power struggle to decide who would select the next dalai lama. >> rinpoche: ♪ ♪ >> narrator: arjia rinpoche became a top aide to the panchen lama, the buddhist leader tasked with identifying the successor to the dalai lama when he dies. but suddenly, in 1989, the panchen lama died. >> one of tibet's most senior religious leaders, the panchen lama, has died of a heart attack. he was second only to the dalai lama, who has lived in exile in india for 30 years. >> narrator: it would be a crucial moment for china's influence on the tibetan hierarchy. >> rinpoche: >> narrator: chinese authorities placed arjia rinpoche on a committee to select the next panchen lama. behind closed doors, he says the authorities made it clear they were in charge. >> rinpoche: >> narrator: according to tibetan buddhists, when a dalai lama or panchen lama dies, he is reincarnated into a new person. the committee searched for boys who m