Panchen Rinpoche carries out head-touching ritual to bless religious believers

Panchen Erdeni Chos-kyi rGyal-po carries out a head-touching ceremony to bless Buddhist adherents in the city of Xigaze, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Chogo)

LHASA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Panchen Erdeni Chos-kyi rGyal-po this week carried out a head-touching ceremony in the city of Xigaze, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, to bless more than 38,000 Buddhist adherents.

Panchen Rinpoche, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, and president of the association's Xizang branch, carried out the head-touching ritual at Tashilhunpo Monastery on Monday and Tuesday.

Head touching is a ceremony carried out by a living Buddha to bless believers who consider that it will help them avoid disasters.

When the ritual began at approximately 10 a.m. on Monday at Tashilhunpo Monastery, long lines of religious believers from all over the region had already stretched several kilometers, holding hada, a traditional Tibetan silk scarf that symbolizes purity and auspiciousness.

Yeshe Drolma, 80, did not leave for a long time after receiving the blessing from Panchen Rinpoche. "I feel very happy today," she said. "I prayed for world peace, prosperity and people's well-being, and people's health and happiness."

At 2 p.m. Tuesday, Panchen Rinpoche concluded this year's head-touching ritual at the monastery.

Panchen Rinpoche was born in February 1990 in Lhari County in Nagqu, northern Xizang.

Panchen Erdeni Chos-kyi rGyal-po carries out a head-touching ceremony to bless Buddhist adherents in the city of Xigaze, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Chogo)