BEIJING - The 11th Panchen Lama conducted a ritual with Tibetan Buddhism scholars, all monks at the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China, in Beijing on Wednesday.

Eleven of the monks in attendance graduated from the school on Tuesday, receiving the "Tho Ram Pa" degree, one of the highest academic degrees in Tibetan Buddhism.

The monks received their degrees after passing a six-day exam, defending their dissertations and being interviewed by a judging committee made up of respected monks.

The "Tho Ram Pa" degree system was launched in 2004 in an effort to improve the study of Tibetan Buddhism and the training of outstanding monks by incorporating elements of modern education.

The 11th Panchen Lama asked the monks to love their country and make efforts to benefit the people.

Monks from the country's Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan regions also paid homage to the 11th Panchen Lama during the ritual.