Buddhist Celebrities: Panchen Lama Visits Tibetan University

The 11th Panchen Lama who is currently on a visit to Tibet visited Tibet University and Tibet College for Tibetan Medicine in Lhasa on June 8.

Addressing students at Tibet University, the 11th Panchen Lama urged students in Lhasa to study hard on Wednesday during a roundtable held at the University of Tibet, an initiative the 20-year-old Tibetan Buddhism leader proposed during his visit to Tibet.

"Life is too short. So you should seize every opportunity to study, to learn knowledge, and then you will succeed," the bespectacled, maroon-robed Panchen Lama said while speaking before nearly one hundred students in the university's assembly hall.

"A man without knowledge is a man without soul," he said. "The more knowledge you acquire, the more you will know there is still a lot to learn."

The 11th Panchen Lama, who was enthroned as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama in 1995, said he has been studying hard to learn Buddhism and other subjects since he was six.

"I cannot say I have achieved something great, but at least I have made progress," he said.

The Panchen Lama listened carefully as five students spoke on a variety of topics including research on Tibetan script software, the development of the university, the preservation of Tibetan culture and traditions, and thoughts on how to develop Tibet's economy.

Built in 1985, the University of Tibet is now the largest university in Tibet with 14,000 students studying 64 subjects to receive Bachelors' degrees and 13 subjects for Masters' degrees.

While on campus, the Panchen Lama toured the university's library, a Tibetan language IT research institution, and the arts college. He also visited the Tibetan Traditional Medical College in Lhasa on Wednesday.

Since his enthronement while still a child, the Panchen Lama has spent most of his time in Beijing studying Buddhism.

The Welcoming ceremony ( arrival in Tibet )