After he became the sole boy selected as the reincarnation of a living Buddha, the life of Gyaencaen Norbu changed and he started to receive Buddhist education from an eminent monk from Trashilhunpo Monastery named Benba.

    After the young Gyaencaen Norbu switched over to a completely different lifestyle in the lamasery, all sorts of changes took place in his life, such as status, clothing, food and drink as well as other aspects of life.

    It is necessary for a person to take a certain period of time to adapt himself to a new lifestyle, and this was certainly the case for the holy boy. It seems that the young Gyaencaen Norbu has already adapted quite well, as he says one becomes more sensible and accustomed to a new lifestyle as one gets older.

    Learning is now the most important task for the young Pachen. Gyaencaen Norbu said he found debating on scriptures was most significant and interesting for him when learning various kinds of Buddhist knowledge.

    Take philosophy for example. Philosophy is very abstruse. After attending a lecture given by a master of the sutras, one has to remember and comprehend it.

    "During the debate, one can air one's own views and engage in an exchange of opinions with others. The more one engages in debate, the more one knows and the deeper one comprehends. The more one knows about scriptures, the more one becomes interested in them," said Gyaencaen Norbu.

    He also expressed his gratitude for a golden opportunity to learn as a Living Budha. "Living Buddha is merely a name. However, a real understanding of Buddhism does not lie in whether or not one is a Living Buddha. I'm a Living Buddha, so I'm in a more favorable position to study various kinds of Buddhist knowledge," said Gyaencaen Norbu.

    Many Tibetan people still have fresh feelings from the first open service of the 11th Panchen in Tibet in 1999. More than 10,000 people came to the service, in the hope to get a touch on the head and blessing by the Panchen. The queue reached a length of two kilometers.

    When seeing so many people waiting and expecting his blessing, Gyaencaen Norbu strongly felt their firm belief. He gave them abhiseca, taught them dharma, and prayed for them to be free from diseases and disasters.

    As mankind is faced with many disasters, such as the SARS epidemic that broke out in 2003 and the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, the 11th Panchen explained what he learned from these catastrophes.

    "I often pray for living creatures in misery. When the tsunami disaster happened, I prayed for and donated money to the victims," said Gyaencaen Norbu.

    Unlike other children, the little Panchen leads a very busy life learning Buddhism knowledge in addition to other courses such as Chinese and English.

    Calligraphy and computer science are also his favorite hobbies. Sometimes he even uses the computer to finish his homework. His Chinese language teacher cited his extraordinary intelligence and hard work as the main reasons for his excellent academic performance.

    Gyaencaen Norbu always says there will be no end to study. "From the perspective of a Living Buddha, I am entrusted with a great historical mission. If I didn't study hard, I wouldn't be able to fulfill this mission," said the young Panchen.

    In addition to studying, keeping abreast of what is happening in the world is also a must for the Panchen. Now he watches news every evening to keep informed of major international and domestic events.

    Apart from that, he also likes to watch historical TV plays. Young Emperor Kangxi is one of his favorite TV series.

    When asked to compare himself with Kangxi, the young Panchen said:

    "There are differences in many aspects. From an epochal perspective, I am living in a new age and a new China, while Emperor Kangxi, on his part, lived in a feudal age. In terms of identity and status, Kangxi was an emperor while I am a Buddhist monk and a Living Buddha. I pray for the happiness and equality of all living creatures mainly through reciting scriptures."

    As a young Panchen Lama, he believes he bears a stronger mission than all the previous Panchen Lamas.

    "I must carry forward the glorious traditions of all the previous Panchen Lamas who loved the country and the religion of Buddhism. The biggest difference is that we live in different times and I will work hard to do things in the interests of the country and the people.

    "I will strive for the reunification of the motherland, the unity of various nationalities and the happiness of people, as well as for the healthy development of Tibetan Buddhism on the road of compatibility with socialist society," he said.

(Source: Shenzhen Daily)