UNFORGETTABLE MEETING

Ten years ago, the lOth Panchen Erdeni＇s last words were： ＂I want to ascertain my soul boy through the method of drawing a lot from the golden urn before the statue of Sakyamuni.＂     

THE STORY OF KONGSA YEDOG

Kongsa Yedog, originally named Yexei Dorje, was born into a common farming family in Gyangze County of the Xigaze area in 1916. In his teens, he was taken into the Tashilhungpo Monastery by his monk uncle to study Tibetan language and sutras, studying together with several older male apprentices under an old lama. One year later, Yexei Dorje passed the examinations to become a real Zhaba of the monastery. One morning, the atmosphere in Tashilhungpo Monastery was hushed, and the curious Y…     

HOW WAS THE SOUL BOY FOUND？

Gyaincain Norbo was determined as the soul boy of the late 10th Panchen Erdeni through the method of drawing lot from the gold urn. He was later enthroned as the 11th Panchen Erdeni. Courtesy of Xinhua News Agencyoqen Benba, an abbot of the Tashilhungpo Monastery Tantric Zacang, led a delegation several times to secretly search for the soul boy of the late 10th Panchen Erdeni. On a winter evening in 1995, we visited him, and were informed of the real facts related to the work. On Januar…     

NEW BOOKS

Record of AmericanPolicy on TibetThis is one of the series books titledSeries Books on Modern History of Tibetwith Zhou Yuan as their chief editor.Authored by Zhang Zhirong and WeiYunpeng, both members of the Tibetanstudies group of Peking Univeristy, thisone contains research fruit they gainedover the past years. It records, in a sys-tematic way, American policy on Tibet. Ittells why the anti-China forces in the Westleft no stone unturned to split China andrumors they spread for the …     

十世班禅终生难忘的一天

十世班禅额尔德尼·确吉坚赞生前曾多次说过：“1951年4月27日,是我终生难忘的一天。”为参加关于和平解放西藏的谈判与协商,这一天,十世班禅第一次从青海老家来到首都北京,第一次见到敬爱的周总理。     

First Toranba Geshi Degree Issue

In October 2005, a total of 11 students of the China Tibetan Language Higher Institute of Buddhism completed their Buddhist studies for the Toranba Geshi title and a grand award ceremony was held. This marks the fresh progress that Tibetan Buddhism is making in Buddhist studies.     

Shangri La： the Paradise

Since the 1980s, I have tramped the mountains and rivers of nearly all the Tibetan-inhabited areas. What touches me deeply is that wherever I went, I would find holy mountains, holy rivers and holy lakes. Invisible deities can be found everywhere at any time. Like man, they are hierarchical. Small holy mountains serve large holy mountains and perform duties for them. The four largest holy mountains are: Magyiabenri Mountain in the east, Kawagyibo Mountain in the south, Dan-gdese Mountain in the west and Nyain-     

BUDDHIST GESHI DEGREE

Various sects of Tibetan Buddhism,along with the major monasteries,have developed their own modes of Buddhist study and the issuance of Buddhist degrees. Of these, monasteries of the Gelug Sect have been doing so for 600 years. Only a small number of monks could be entitled to such prestigious degrees known in general as ＂Geshi＂ meaning ＂knowledgeable＂, which then come in grades with such titles as Lharangba, Corangba, Lingseba, Dorangba, Ngarangba, Manrangba and Gerangba.     

SALIENT FEATURES AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NEW GESHI SYSTEM

The new system was introduced on the basis of the traditional way of studying the sutras of Tibetan Buddhism. It is a brand-new Geshi award system,which fully respects and carries forward the traditional system in terms of sutra studies and Geshi title promotion. In terms of content, the way to study them and the way the tests are given, the new system basically follows the traditional practice of various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. Hence it is well received among the eminent monks of Tibeta…     

Life of Monks

If Tibetan Buddhism were taken as a lake.Lhasa would be an island inits center.When the wind blows,the lake ripples with gentle waves spreading out to the eastern tip of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.That part of the world is home to Tibetan.Tu and Han ethnic groups and boasts 29monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism. Why were there so many monasteries in sucha small and remote place inhabited by not only Tibetans,but also people of other ethnic groups?     

I WITNESSED HOW THE SOUL BOY OF THE 10TH PANCHEN ERDENI WAS DETERMINED

In the wee small hours of the morning of September 29, 1995, the ceremony of drawing a lot from the golden urn was held in Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa to determine the reincarnated soul boy of the 10th Panchen Erdeni. Curu Cenang, a famous Tibetan medicine doctor as well as astrologer, chose the auspicious day by studying the ancient Tibetan calendar. The system of drawing a lot from the golden urn originated from Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The reincarnation system can be traced…     

One Day With the 11th Panchen Erdeni

At7 in the morning, we went to see the 11th Panchen Erdeni at his resident palace in Xigaze. The building was brightly lit. "He is taking a shower," said the monk who opened the door for us. Half an hour later, we found him. Dressed neatly, he was kowtowing to the statue of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism. Following this, he started to recite surras: Sutra of Paying Sacrifices and Laud to Master Zongkapa. Both laud Master     

悬壶济世龙王宫

长沙湘春街与北正街交接处,是个十字路口。据说旧时从北门进城来的第一道关卡就设在这里,所以俗称“头卡子”。“头卡子”东面是学宫街和上学宫街,现在改叫成功街和学宫街了。老学宫街也曾叫过学工街,但那是特定年代下的事。你现在如果仔细寻找,还能在成功街上找到“学工街”的老门牌。     

古道行记

平日里喜欢四处疯游的一帮朋友兴奋地决定了这次西藏之行,计划书也打印了好几页纸,上面长长短短地写明了这次驾车西游的路线和必看的景色,地图、装备也没少带,于是计划书上的“北京出发”也赫然醒目起来,重重的踩了一下油门,重走一段文成公主进藏的古道之旅就此出发了! 心有所盼,路途似乎都近了很多,从北京驾车一路西奔至西宁,开始的兴奋逐渐的也转变成了更多的期待,而我们的车轮对公主西行古道行迹的丈量也由西宁开始计算了……     

论点摘编

顿渐之诤和朗达玛灭佛 索南才让在2003年第五期《西藏民族学院学报》上,发表了题为《关于吐蕃佛教研究的两个问题》文章,对顿渐之诤和朗达玛灭佛进行了研究。 文章说,顿渐之诤又称拉萨僧诤、桑耶寺僧诤或印汉僧人辩论。其背景是当时印度和内地唐朝都有僧人前来传法,而吐蕃则采取了兼收并包的政策。引发辩沦的原因表面上看是修炼成佛的方法,是顿悟还是渐悟,事实上其中隐藏了十分复杂的矛盾。学术界对此众说纷纭,提出了信仰说、政治斗争说、显密说,大小乘佛教之争说等等,藏族史籍中也有不同说法。但文章认为,这次辩论不是简单的两种思想和两种文化的对立,其中深藏着     

西藏的放生习俗

西藏是一个令人神往的地方,因为这里还是一片净土;西藏是一个神秘的地方,因为这里有你永远读不懂的东西;西藏是一个富有的精神世界,因为生活在这里的人们最懂得珍爱生命;西藏是一块贫瘠的大地,因此一切生命在这里都要经历极限的考验……     

1951西藏新生 西藏和平解放谈判揭秘

今年是西藏和平解放60周年。中华人民共和国成立后,毛泽东就解放西藏问题作出指示:进军西藏宜早不宜迟。1951年4月,西藏地方政府派出的阿沛·阿旺晋美等五名全权代表到达北京,同中央人民政府全权代表李维汉、张经武等举行谈判。经过多次协商,于5月23日签订了《中央人民政府和西藏地方政府关于和平解放西藏办法的协议》。阿旺晋美作为谈判首席代表,对这段经历进行了全面回顾。     

Why Do the West Hold Prejudice against Tibet of China？

Istill remember the facial expression of two foreign women a few days ago. Just like me, they were visiting an exhibitionof Tibet, but confused in front of a glass window. They asked me for help. When I explained to them that big stone hat was used to punish ＂criminals＂（actually those poor serfs maybe without committing any crime） by pressing their eyes out, they both were so shocked and surprised, thinking that was horrible and incredibly cruel.     

随温家宝急赴西藏抢救十世班禅

本文作者王敏清,曾担任中央保健委员会办公室主任兼"文革"后第一任卫生部保健局局长。他多次在中南海游泳池为毛泽东做保健服务,并先后为杨尚昆、邓小平等领导人及江青做过保健医生,还参与了叶剑英、胡耀邦、十世班禅等党和国家领导人的病危抢救。     

亲历十一世班禅的一天

早晨7点钟的日喀则天刚蒙蒙亮,当我们走进班禅新宫德青格桑颇章时,楼里已是灯火通明了。为我们开启大门的僧人说,仁布钦在洗漱。