ull of highland barley. Afterward, Phunlha, deputy director of the Democratic Management Committee of the Tashilhunpo Monastery, took the remaining two name slips out of the gold urn, and showed them to present political and Party leaders, eminent monks, and the parents of the two boys whose name slips were not chosen for their examination. Phunlha reported: "The remaining two name slips have been examined and proved correct!" Then he removed the names from the slips and put them in the tray held by Gesang.

Gyaltsen Norbu solemnly declared: "Gyantsen Norpo, born by his father Sonam Trapa and mother Samgyi Droma on February 13, 1990, (the 19th day of the 12th month in the Earth-Snake year of the 17th cycle of the Tibetan calendar), has been chosen. He shall succeed as the 11th Panchen Erdeni after the approval of the State Council." Nearly one thousand representatives burst into loud cheers again, with smiles appearing on the faces of the political and Party leaders.

A few hours earlier, the parents of the three candidates consoled or encouraged their own childr in different ways. Gyantsen Norpo's parents told him: "Don't be frustrated it you are not chosen." But Gyantsen Norpo relied unexpectedly like an adult: "Never mind. I am the Panchen Lama and definitely I will be chosen."

Hearing the result announced by Gyaltsen Norbu, Gyantsen Norpo's mother opened her mouth wide, with tears streaming down her cheeks, while his father excitedly sprang to his feet and kept running his head against a wall.

At 5:40 a.m., the reincarnated soul boy of the 10th Panchen Lama Gyantsen Norpo, wearing a yellow silk rope and a cockscomb, came to the lots-drawing spot guided by several lamas. The six-year-old boy looked very cute, getting a load of the surrounding without feeling any stage fright.

A fattish lama held Gyantsen Norpo up and took him into the principal nave. The door of the principal nave was actually a wire netting and we could only observe the Buddha-pilgrimage ceremony inside through the spaces of the net.

Living Buddha Shengqin Losang Gyeltshen gave instructions to Gyantsen Norpo to kowtow to Sakyamuni statue in namaste and then presented Hada (a piece of silk used as a greeting gift) to the statue. Later, he led Gyantsen Norpo in walking around the statue once.

After that, Tsring held Gyantsen Norpo up and put him onto a stool with a yellow silk cushion in front of the Sakyamuni statue, facing the audience. Amid the flickering light of cameras, the parents of Gyantsen Norpo presented Hada to political and Party leaders and the eminent monks one by one.

Afterward, the tonsure ceremony for the reincarnated soul boy of the 10th Panchen Lama was held in front of the Sakyamuni statue.

Living Buddha Bumi Qambalozhub, an eminent and prestigious monk of Tibetan Buddhism, would perform tonsure for the soul boy of the 10th Panchen Lama.

Lama Tsring, director of the Democr