Penchen
Penchen (also: Panchen, Pänchen, Päntschen ; tib . : pan chen , Tibetan : པན་ ཆེན་; THDL : Penchen ; transcription of the PRCh : Bainqên ; short for tib .: pan di ta chen po ) is the Tibetan translation for Sanskrit "Maha pandita ".
The title 'Penchen' was used in Buddhism in Tibet as an unofficial title for particularly outstanding scholars. It has not yet been scientifically investigated why some scholars received this title and others did not.
Well-known bearers of the title were u. a. the Khache Penchen Shakya Shri from Kashmir, the famous Bodong Penchen Chogle Namgyel , the author of the New Red Annals Penchen Sönam Dragpa and the Situ Penchen Chökyi Chungne .
Since the time of Lobsang Chökyi Gyeltshen (1570–1662), the highest dignitaries of the Trashilhünpo Monastery have been given the title 'Penchen Rinpoche ' ('Precious of great scholars') or ' Penchen Lama '.