(CHEN SHUGEN)

The 11th Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, made his debut in China's political arena as a political advisor at the annual full session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) earlier this month.

"All religions aim at bringing a better spiritual life and guiding people to perform good deeds, thus to benefit the country and its people," the Panchen Lama said during the CPPCC National Committee session.

The 11th Panchen Lama, one of the two most senior living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism, became a CPPCC National Committee member on February 28. Born in February 1990, he is the youngest ever CPPCC National Committee member.

On February 3 this year, he was elected Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China.