The Panchen Erdeni Choskyi Gyalpo, who just returned from his first visit abroad with a delegation, said that he was able to deeply appreciate the greatness of the motherland while he was in a foreign country.

In the middle of May, a Buddhist delegation led by Yan Jue, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, traveled to Thailand to attend the closing ceremony of the United Nations (UN) Day of Vesak celebrations and had a friendly visit to the Buddhist community in Thailand. This was the Panchen Lama's first trip abroad. During his time in Thailand, he was also invited to give a speech entitled Let the Light of Compassion and Wisdom Shine upon the World at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University.

In his speech, the Panchen Lama noted that Buddhism plays as an important bond in cultural exchanges among Eastern countries with China and Thailand included and has made important contributions to consolidating peace among them.

The Panchen Lama said that when he came to the foreign country, he could personally better understand the vastness of the motherland, the profound cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, and the unity and harmony of the three major Buddhist communities in China.

"We are fortunate to be in the era of the development and rise of New China, and thank the Communist Party of China for leading the Chinese people in achieving the tremendous transformation of standing up, growing rich, and becoming strong," said the Panchen Lama.

The Panchen Lama emphasized that as a representative of the Buddhist community in China, particularly the Tibetan Buddhist community, he has a responsibility and an obligation to guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to the socialist society with Chinese characteristics even better and more quickly, to constantly adhere to develop Tibetan Buddhism in the Chinese context, to maximize the positive role of religion, and to make due contributions to safeguarding the unification of the motherland and promoting ethnic unity.

Editor: Tommy Tan.