11th Panchen Lama visits Lhasa's major monastery

The 11th Panchen Lama visited Jokhang Temple, the most renowned monastery in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, early Saturday.

The 20-year-old living Buddha arrived at the temple before 6 a.m., and was greeted by lamas dressed in crimson robes, holding Tibetan incense, prayer flags and "hada", a long, scarf-like white silk used by the Tibetans for blessings.

The Panchen Lama visited major halls of the temple, paid homage and presented hadas to the statues of Buddhas.

He led a 30-minute sutra chanting ceremony, where he and more than 100 lamas at the temple prayed for the prosperity and stability of the country and a bumper harvest.

The ceremony was followed by a head-touching ritual to bless the lamas.

The Panchen Lama arrived in Lhasa Friday for a series of Buddhist activities, which have become his annual routine in recent years.

He spends most of the time studying Buddhism in Beijing and also visits areas inhabited by Tibetans for religious services.

The Jokhang Temple, which houses a life-sized statue of Buddha Sakyamuni as a 12-year-old, is often the first stop of his Lhasa tour.


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