Panchen Lama

[pahn-chen]

noun

1. Tashi Lama.

Panchen Lama

/ ˈpɑːntʃən /

noun

1. Also called: Tashi Lama. one of the two Grand Lamas of Tibet, ranking below the Dalai Lama

Word History and Origins

Origin of Panchen Lama¹

1785–95; panchen < Chinese bānchán, transliteration of Sanskrit paṇḍita; pundit

Word History and Origins

Origin of Panchen Lama¹

from Tibetan panchen, literally: great jewel, from the title of the lama (in full: great jewel among scholars)

Example Sentences

When the Panchen Lama, the second highest authority in Tibetan Buddhism, died in 1989, the Dalai Lama identified a successor to that post in Tibet.

From BBC

It is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, a key figure of Tibetan Buddhism whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama.

From BBC

China placed the child under house arrest in 1995 and named another boy as the 11th Panchen Lama.

From Reuters

Beijing brands the current Dalai Lama, exiled in neighbouring India, as a dangerous separatist and instead recognises the current Panchen Lama, put in place by the party, as the highest religious figure in Tibet.

From Reuters

China has meanwhile sought to elevate other spiritual figures, particularly Tibetan Buddhism’s second ranking figure, the Panchen Lama.

From Seattle Times