The Panchen Lama is a religious leader with a special status in Tibet. The 11th Panchen Lama is currently in office. He was born in 1990. Since his enthronement in 1995, he is now 32 years old.

2025/10/1000:58:39 history 1977

The Panchen Lama is a religious leader with a special status in Tibet. The 11th Panchen Lama is currently in office. He was born in 1990. Since his enthronement in 1995, he is now 32 years old.

How did he become the 11th Panchen Lama, and what was his daily life like?

The search and identification of the 11th Panchen Lama

In 1989, the 10th Panchen Lama passed away, and the search and identification of his reincarnated soul boy became a top priority in the Tibetan religious community.

The reincarnation of the living Buddha is a unique inheritance system of Tibetan Buddhism. According to the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, after the sect leader passes away, he will be reincarnated into the world as a baby, that is, a reincarnated soul boy. After the sect finds the reincarnated soul boy, it will enshrine him as the new generation of sect leader.

The reincarnation of living Buddhas was first created in Yuan Dynasty . This system can ensure the stability of sect inheritance and prevent the change of sect leaders from causing divisions. Therefore, it has been adopted by various sects of Tibetan Buddhism.

During the Qing Dynasty , the Qing government supported the Gelug sect of various sects of Tibetan Buddhism, which occupied a dominant position in Tibet. The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama that we are familiar with today are the reincarnation systems of the two living Buddhas of the Gelug sect.

During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, in order to strengthen the central government's control over Tibet, Emperor Qianlong introduced the golden urn drawing system. In the process of searching for and identifying reincarnated soul boys, the minister in Tibet eventually wrote the names and birth dates of several candidate soul boys on the lots in Manchu, Chinese and Tibetan, and transferred them to the golden vase.

The sutras are then chanted for seven days, and the decision is made by drawing lots under the supervision of the minister stationed in Tibet, ensuring the central government's management of Tibetan Buddhist living Buddhas and their reincarnation affairs.

After the Republic of China, this historical practice was also inherited. After the founding of New China, out of respect for Tibetan religious customs, it also recognized the effectiveness of the reincarnation of living Buddhas.

After the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, Tashilhunpo Monastery, the mother monastery where the Panchen Lama is located, and many Tibetan monks requested the State Council to handle the issue of reincarnation. In accordance with historical practice, the State Council instructed the Democratic Management Committee of Tashilhunpo Monastery to be responsible. If necessary, the Chinese Buddhist Association and the Buddhist Association Tibet Branch were requested to assist in the search and identification of the reincarnated soul boy of the 10th Panchen Lama.

Afterwards, Tashilhunpo Monastery, with the approval of the State Council, established a search team and a consultant team to start the search for the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Master. After six years of arduous search and identification work, three candidate soul boys were confirmed.

On November 10, 1995, the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region reported "Request for Instructions on Identifying Three Boys as Candidates for Drawing Lots from the Golden Urn as the Reincarnation of the Tenth Panchen Lama" to the State Council based on the report of Zha Si.

On November 25, the State Council issued an approval.

On November 29, 1995, the drawing of lots from the golden urn of the Panchen Lama, the reincarnated soul boy, attracted worldwide attention. It was presided over and supervised by representatives of the State Council and the special commissioner of the State Council.

In front of the Jokhang Temple Sakyamuni Buddha statue, President of the Tibetan Branch of the Buddhist Association of China Bomi Jampa Lodrup solemnly pulled out a signature from a gold vase with Gyaltsen Norbu written in both Tibetan and Chinese.

After inspection and confirmation by the representatives of the State Council, the special commissioner and the eminent monks present, Jiangcun Norbu, the special commissioner of the State Council, immediately announced that Gyaltsen Norbu had won the lottery, and the golden urn drawing ceremony for the recognition of the reincarnation of the 11th Panchen Master was successfully completed.

On the same day, the State Council approved the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Government's request to the Central Committee "Request for the State Council to approve Gyaltsen Norbu, who was identified by drawing lots from the golden urn, as the 11th Panchen Erdeni" . After that, the enthronement ceremony of the 11th Panchen Erdeni was held grandly at Tashilhunpo Monastery, successfully completing the Buddhist event of searching for the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Master and the succession of the 11th Panchen Lama.

So what was the daily life of the 11th Panchen Lama, who attracted much attention at that time, like after his enthronement, and how is he growing up now?

A day in the life of the 11th Panchen

Let us start with an ordinary day in the life of the 11th Panchen Lama.

At seven o'clock in the morning, it was still dark, and the young 11th Panchen Lama had already gotten up and washed himself. Since his enthronement, the privilege of sleeping in that ordinary children could enjoy has been taken away from him.

After washing, the neatly dressed 11th Panchen Lama came to the morning recitation room and first performed a solemn three-kowtow ceremony at the statue of Sakyamuni in the center.

The three-kowtow ceremony requires raising your hands above your head, then in front of your eyes, then to your heart, and then kneeling on the ground. This can be completed three times. The 11th Panchen Lama did it meticulously, without any carelessness. After finishing the kowtow, he would start his day's work.

During the morning recitation, the 11th Panchen Lama mainly practiced some basic scriptures of the Gelug sect. These scriptures must be memorized by the Gelug sect monks. For the 11th Panchen Lama, they are also important scriptures that must be memorized fluently. It is through reciting day after day that the 11th Panchen Lama can firmly lay a deep and solid theoretical foundation of Buddhist .

After finishing the morning recitation, the 11th Panchen Lama would go to the restaurant to have breakfast at about 8:30. He would be accompanied by the sutra teacher who lectured him and some acolytes. Sometimes, the Panchen Lama's parents would also come to have breakfast with him.

Breakfast foods are relatively simple, including traditional Tibetan foods such as milk residue, tsampa, as well as steamed buns, eggs, rice porridge, and other foods that are the same as Han breakfast. What you drink is often fragrant and delicious butter tea.

Before eating, the 11th Panchen Lama also presided over a ceremony, which was to recite a sutra that Tibetan monks must recite before eating, indicating that the food should be offered to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Everyone accompanying the meal should recite it with him. After the sutra, everyone can eat.

Although the 11th Panchen Lama is the youngest person at the dinner table, due to his special religious status, he can only play the role of leading the chanting. After the ceremony, the polite 11th Panchen Lama will always ask the sutra teacher to start the meal first, and then he will eat.

The 11th Panchen Lama had a very fixed dining habit. Every morning, he ate tsampa and drank butter tea, which remained unchanged for many years. After breakfast, the 11th Panchen Lama would take a walk, which was also a rare leisure time for him in the day.

Those who accompany him on walks are sometimes Buddhist teachers and parents, and sometimes other young monks of similar age to him. After a long day of heavy study, a walk after breakfast can help the 11th Panchen Lama relax physically and mentally.

At half past nine, the day of formal study began. The 11th Panchen Lama had to study Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and various cultural courses. Like students of the same age, he also had to learn English.

The heavy study will not end until about twelve o'clock, and then the 11th Panchen Lama will start to have lunch after taking a short rest. Although there are various kinds of lunch, his favorite ones are Tibetan soup dumplings and beef buns with unique Tibetan flavor, as well as various pastas.

After lunch and before 3:30 in the afternoon, the 11th Panchen Lama had a period of free time. During this time, he usually had to review his homework. The rest of the time was mostly used to read newspapers, magazines and learn computer operations.

Three and a half years later in the afternoon, the 11th Panchen Lama was often arranged to engage in sutra debate. In sutra debate , the 11th Panchen Lama had to debate with many eminent monks with profound Buddhist attainments on the mysteries of the sutras. This is also an indispensable way to improve the study of sutras.

During the debate, the 11th Panchen Lama discovered that he was not clear enough in the Buddhist scriptures. After returning home, he could continue to improve his mastery of the Buddhist scriptures. In the process of debating with eminent monks, his logical thinking ability and language expression ability were also greatly exercised and improved.

It was during the intense debates that the 11th Panchen Lama, who was diligent and intelligent, made rapid progress in his Buddhist attainments, laying the foundation for his future promotion through Buddhist degrees.

After dinner after the scripture debate, the 11th Panchen Lama had a walk, just like after breakfast. This time was often used by him to discuss the gains and losses of the afternoon’s scripture debate with the scripture masters around him.

Every night, the 11th Panchen would watch the news broadcast from beginning to end, and then he would review his lessons during the day and practice calligraphy. In addition to writing Chinese and Tibetan, the 11th Panchen also learned how to write Sanskrit and Tibetan cursive script .

At 9:15 in the evening, the 11th Panchen Lama and the monks around him performed collective chanting for an hour. After the chanting, he basically went to bed to rest.

When the 11th Panchen Lama was a teenager, in addition to the major social activities that he often participated in, he had such a busy and fulfilling day day after day, year after year.

Today’s 11th Panchen

Time has arrived in 2021. Although he was young, he had aura and maturity that was unmatched by ordinary children. He has also gone through his childhood and youth and entered his thirties.

Not long after the 11th Panchen Erdeni Choekyi Gyebu turned 31 years old, he achieved an important achievement in his life. He successfully passed the examination and obtained the highest degree in Buddhism of the Gelug Sect "Gachen" .

The history of Tibetan Buddhism can be traced back to the mid-seventh century AD. After Buddhism was introduced to Tibet, it took root in this special land. Combined with Tibet's unique local historical and cultural traditions and geographical and climatic environment, it formed numerous sects that have been passed down for thousands of years.

Many sects of Tibetan Buddhism attach great importance to the study and analysis of Buddhist scriptures. Each sect has its own learning and practice system, and the Gelug Sect is no exception.

"Gachen" is the highest degree in the Gelug sect, which means those who study the "Five Great Treatises" hard. Some people compare it with the modern education system and think that "Gachen" is equivalent to a doctorate in Buddhism. This shows how difficult and valuable "Gachen" is.

According to senior monks of the Gelug Sect, it usually takes an ordinary monk about 18 years of diligent study from the time he enters a temple to study scriptures and finally obtains the "Gachen" degree. Precisely because it takes such a long time, monks are often over forty when they are lucky enough to obtain this degree.

Tashilhunpo Temple in Shigatse City, Tibet Autonomous Region, is the mother temple of the Panchen Lama and an important place of Tibetan Buddhism. However, in this temple with a long history, which was founded in 1447, there are only 56 "Gachen".

The 11th Panchen Lama has been studying and practicing rigorously since he was enthroned in Tashilhunpo Monastery in 1995 by drawing lots from the golden urn. Now, at the age of 31, he has successively passed the pre-examination of the "Gachen" degree, ushering in the moment of sprinting towards this highest degree.

On October 26, 2021, the 11th Panchen Lama began the sect establishment defense of the "Gaqin" degree examination at Tashilhunpo Monastery.

The so-called sectarian defense is a form of assessment in Tibetan Buddhism. Establishing a sect is to propose a proposition and establish a point of view. The examinee must take turns to analyze it with the eminent monks who are assessing him from the two perspectives of establishing an argument and refuting it. It is very similar to a modern debate.

During the entire process, the examinee's Buddhist knowledge, logical judgment, and ability to organize language will be tested to a great extent. Only monks who perform well in the defense of the sect can obtain the highest degree of "Gaqin".

Because the subject of the examination was the 11th Panchen Lama, this defense attracted representatives from various sects of Tibetan Buddhism and many believers. More than 800 people gathered at Tashilhunpo Monastery that night. Everyone held their breath and watched the defense scene with concentration, without daring to make a sound.

After the solemn ceremony, the 11th Panchen Lama stood up from the throne and came to the seat where he would defend his sect, officially starting this much-anticipated examination.

The entire defense was divided into two rounds. Each round had a first half and a second half of 30 minutes each. The examinees spent time in a high-intensity debate, which was quite stressful.

Although the 11th Panchen Lama is just over 30 years old, he has studied diligently under the guidance of eminent monks with profound Buddhist knowledge for more than 20 years. He has a very profound foundation in Buddhism. The knowledge and qualities accumulated over the years were fully displayed in his defense. After nearly two hours of defense, the 11th Panchen Lama successfully passed the examination and received the highest degree of "Gachen".

Representatives from various sects of Tibetan Buddhism presented gifts such as manzas and hadas that represented blessings to the 11th Panchen Lama. The onlookers also expressed their admiration for the 11th Panchen Lama.

2021 is a year of special significance for the 11th Panchen Lama. This year happens to be the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the 970th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.

In this year, the 11th Panchen Lama not only obtained the "Gachen" Buddhist degree, he also adhered to the purpose of reading thousands of books but also traveling thousands of miles. He spent more than three months visiting and surveying many areas in Tibet as well as prefectures and counties where Tibetans gather in Sichuan, Gansu and other places.

During more than three months of visits, the 11th Panchen experienced firsthand the happy life of the Tibetan people in the new generation, saw religious freedom, ethnic unity, and scenes of peace and contentment, and saw the huge improvements in urban and rural areas where Tibetan people gathered. All of this made the 11th Panchen feel sincerely grateful to the party and the government.

March 3, 2022 is the Tibetan New Year. On this day, the 11th Panchen Lama blessed the Tibetan compatriots on the radio in accordance with tradition. Taking this opportunity, the 11th Panchen Lama also shared his feelings with everyone.

The 11th Panchen Lama told everyone that the happy life of the Tibetan people today is a blessing shared by the Chinese nation under the leadership of our party. He called on everyone to be more grateful and cherish the Chinese nation.

In the broadcast, the 11th Panchen Lama stated that he would dedicate himself wholeheartedly to the cause of loving the country, loving the religion, protecting the country and benefiting the people, and would contribute his own efforts to promote the Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism.

After obtaining the "Gachen" degree, the 11th Panchen Lama continued his studies in the field of Buddhism and actively participated in various activities to make more contributions to the prosperity of the motherland and the spread of Buddhism.

In the past October 2022, he went to the historic Nathang Temple in Shigatse to worship Buddha and lecture on scriptures. He inspected the scripture learning status of many monks in the temple on site, and touched the heads of the monks to bless them.

In front of the monks, the 11th Panchen Lama said with emotion that since he has become a monk, he must cherish the belief in saving all sentient beings and constantly improve his Buddhist attainments. Therefore, he must cherish his youth and study scriptures diligently. Only in this way will his life be more exciting.