Panchen Lama
noun
Pan·chen Lama
ˈpän-chən- 
: the lama who is the chief spiritual adviser of the Dalai Lama
Examples of Panchen Lama in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Following the 1989 death of the 10th Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama named Tibetan child Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as his colleague’s reincarnation.
—
Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 6 June 2025
Despite denunciations by the Dalai Lama and his supporters, Beijing has installed its own Panchen Lama – triggering a three-decade-old dispute that continues to loom large, a sobering reminder of the stakes at play.
—Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 1 May 2025
Authorities then elevated their own choice of a boy as the 11th Panchen Lama.
—Lobsang Sangay, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2023
The most important figure in determining the new reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is the second-highest authority in the Gelug sect, the Panchen Lama.
—Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
The region is administered by Shigatse city, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism.
—Joe Cash and Gopal Sharma, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
The identity of the Panchen Lama has been a subject of major political controversy between Chinese authorities and the Tibetan government in exile.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Shigatse is home to the vast, centuries-old Tashilhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most senior figures in Tibetan Buddhism.
—Bhadra Sharma, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
In 1995, atheist China and the Dalai Lama separately identified two boys as the Panchen Lama, the second-most-important Tibetan Buddhist leader.
—Fox News, 6 July 2024
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Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 6 June 2025
Despite denunciations by the Dalai Lama and his supporters, Beijing has installed its own Panchen Lama – triggering a three-decade-old dispute that continues to loom large, a sobering reminder of the stakes at play.
—Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 1 May 2025
Authorities then elevated their own choice of a boy as the 11th Panchen Lama.
—Lobsang Sangay, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2023
The most important figure in determining the new reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is the second-highest authority in the Gelug sect, the Panchen Lama.
—Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
The region is administered by Shigatse city, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism.
—Joe Cash and Gopal Sharma, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
The identity of the Panchen Lama has been a subject of major political controversy between Chinese authorities and the Tibetan government in exile.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Shigatse is home to the vast, centuries-old Tashilhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the most senior figures in Tibetan Buddhism.
—Bhadra Sharma, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
In 1995, atheist China and the Dalai Lama separately identified two boys as the Panchen Lama, the second-most-important Tibetan Buddhist leader.
—Fox News, 6 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Panchen Lama.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Panchen%20Lama. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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