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Panchen Lama's first Kalachakra ritual closes successfully

Xinhua, July 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The first Kalachakra ritual given by the 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu concluded on Sunday.

The four-day Kalachakra (wheel of time) ritual was held in the New Palace of the Panchen Lama at the request of the monks of the Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery, the home temple of Panchen Lamas, in Xigaze.

It was the first large-scale kalachakra ritual held in Tibet for 60 years. Records from the Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery showed that the 10th Panchen Lama performed one in 1954.

The ceremony began with a closed-door observance by senior monks from Labrang Lamasery in northwest China's Gansu Province and Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery every morning from July 21 to July 24.

Every afternoon, Panchen Lama gave four hour sermons, chanting mantras, explaining scripture and giving blessings.

Yanglha, 76, was grateful for the rare teachings. "An ordinary person would be hoarse after speaking for hours, but Panchen Lama's voice is always loud and resonant," she said.

Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery began preparations one month ago. A mandala made of colored sand by 20 senior monks was displayed to devotees on Sunday.

Some 100 lamas and 5,000 monks and nuns from Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan attended the ritual that is to help people through the cycle of life.

Despite intermittent rain, more than 100,000 believers attended the ritual each day. Cumulative attendance for the four days reached 426,000.

Four LED screens and dozens of loud speakers ensured the audience could clearly follow the teachings.

Hong Song, 56, a Tibetan from Qinghai Province, left four days in advance with his family. They flew from Yushu to Lhasa and took a train to Xigaze. He carried three kilograms of fried highland barley for breakfast and snacks in case there was no time for meals. He called the teachings "very, very precious".

Lama Thubten Drakpa with the Gyatso Ling Monastery said Panchen Rinpoche has "set a good example for living buddhas, especially the young ones."

Currently serving as vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, Panchen Lama, 26, has received some 1,000 initiations and given head-touching blessings to about 1.5 million Buddhists.

In Zhaxi Lhunbo last December, he celebrated the 20th anniversary of his enthronement.

Dawa Tsering, a monk and president of the Buddhism Association of Shannan City of Tibet, was present to receive the kalachakra teachings. He said he was very grateful to Panchen Rinpoche's confident and thorough explanation of the teachings.

"I think he is an honor to Tibetan Buddhism and as followers we feel blessed,"said Dawa Tsering. Endi