Preliminary exam for highest Tibetan Buddhism degree held in Xizang

July 03, 2026Source: Xinhua
  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

  • A preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa is held at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, July 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

A total of 13 monks from multiple monasteries are in the process of completing a preliminary examination for the Geshe Lharampa, the highest academic degree in the exoteric teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Geshe Lharampa, which means "intellectual" in the Tibetan language, is the equivalent of a doctoral degree in modern education.