On July 23, at the site of the Panchen Lama’s Kalachakra ritual ceremony in Shigatse, the Tibet Autonomous Region, there was a conspicuous older man, whose monk robes were slightly different than the Tibetan monk robes of those around him, indicating he was not from a Tibetan inhabited area. After 12:00, he knelt to the side of the Panchen Lama’s yellow lotus mat. The Panchen Lama’s ritual for followers didn’t begin until 2:00.

When the surrounding monks and staff saw this, one after another they came over to gently try to persuade the old man, but he did not listen, and said emotionally, “I am 80 years old; I have come from Tongliao city in Inner Mongolia, taking three different flights to finally see the face of the Panchen Lama. If I can see his face, I will be able to die in peace.”

At 2:00 in the afternoon the Panchen Lama, protected by his honor guard, arrived on time for the ceremony. Upon seeing the Panchen Lama come in, the old man struggled to rise up and perform a prostration. Because he had been kneeling for so long, the old man’s legs gave out. He stumbled and fell to the ground. In order not to affect the Panchen Lama and his honor guard, he quickly struggled to get up, moving to the back of the group of followers.

At the ceremony, proximity to the Panchen Lama is a great honor

Qiqige, who is also from Tongliao city, came with her brothers and sisters. Qiqige said that when the 10th Panchen Lama held the meeting, she was still very young, and her family’s situation was poor, so she was not able to go. Now, her family’s situation is good, and the whole family has come, not wanting to miss this ritual ceremony.

On the first day of the ceremony, at 4:00 in the morning, the whole family of 19-year-old Pema Lhamo, a young Tibetan woman, drove more than 250 kilometers from their home in Gyantse to attend the ceremony in Shigatse. Her 76-year-old mother wished to present a hada to the Panchen Lama. On the last day of the ceremony, her mother, gripping a walking stick and supported by Pema Lhamo, walked towards the big LED screen which was showing the Panchen Lama chanting scriptures and the large Buddha statue, placed a hada on the fence, faced the image of the master, and clasped her hands together in prayer.

The Panchen Lama carries out Kalachakra rituals, wielding Dharma instruments and chanting scriptures

426,000 people reportedly participated in the Panchen Lama’s ritual ceremony. They came from various places in Tibet and also from Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang. A Tibetan from Switzerland said that it was good fortune to be able to participate in the Panchen Lama’s ceremony. Many people did not know in advance that the Panchen Lama would hold this ceremony, or else they would have rushed over.

After Dawa Tsering, a high monk from Samye Monastery, received the ritual from the Panchen Lama, lamented, “I’ve been practicing the dharma for more than 30 years. The Panchen Lama is 26-years-old, and his Buddhist knowledge has already surpassed mine. I feel sincerely moved.”

The Kalachakra ritual ceremony is the highest ceremony in Tibetan Buddhism. The Kalachakra method was taught personally to the first Panchen Lama by Master Tsongkhapa. The last Kalachakra ceremony was held by the 10th Panchen Lama more than 60 years ago in 1954. This is the first Kalachakra ritual ceremony held by the 11th Panchen Lama. According to Tsedor, a high monk at Tashilhunpo Monastery, practicing Kalachakra method can allow sentient beings to avoid suffering the disasters at the end of the world. All animals and insects who hear this ceremony can also be initiated, and there is no other ritual as powerful as this one.