Tens of thousands of Tibetan believers went to the Monlam Chenmo, or Great Prayer Meeting, held in the Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery, which concluded on Mar. 16 (January 15 of Tibetan calendar), Xinhua reported.

According to Pasang, a monk from the Jokhang Temple, the Monlam Chenmo is held on Tibetan January 8 and lasted till January 15 in the three monasteries every year, the tradition of which can be traced back to 1409 A.D. when master Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, initiated this grand praying meeting.

"Hundreds and even thousands of believers would come to worship Buddha in Jokhang Temple. We monks also need to learn and chant scriptures to pay respect to Buddha every day during this occasion. But everything goes on well and orderly," said Pasang.

Losang Tenpa, vice secretary of Lhasa city in charge of ethnic and religious affairs, introduced that there were Tibetan, Han, Hui, Mampa, and Lhopa people living in Tibet with different religious beliefs ensured and respected so that every religious activity went on normally and properly.

"The fact that Lhasa has had the highest happiness index for many consecutive years suffices to demonstrate that Tibet has the harmony of religions, religious activities go on well and people live and work in peace and contentment."

According to Tenzin, a monk from the Ganden Monastery, the Ganden Monastery conducts hundreds of religious events every year without interruption. All the main halls and the monks' dorms in the Ganden Monastery have been renovated.

In fact, all monks and nuns in Tibet have been covered with social insurance so that they can cultivate Tibetan Buddhism in better circumstance and a carefree state of mind.

It is said that most of people in Tibet believe in Tibetan Buddhism and the believers tend to have a small-scale shrine or praying room at home. According to statistics, there are more than 1,700 religious sites including monasteries in Tibet, and 46,000 monks and nuns.

As introduced by Taktra Tenzin Gelek, vice chairman of Tibet branch of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC), from 2005 to 2013, the Tibet branch of BAC had successfully conducted the pre-examination, dissertation defense and degree awarding of the Lharampa Geshe (the highest Geshe degree in the Exoteric Tibetan Buddhism) every year. Now Tibet has 64 monks holding the Buddhist degree of Lharampa Geshe, which used be available for local monks in Lhasa, but is now also accessible for monks from Chamdo and Nagqu prefectures in remote Tibet areas.

It is said that Tibet Autonomous Region and its seven major cities and prefectures all have Buddhist associations. The autonomous regional branch of BAC also runs Buddhist academy, sutra-printing house, and the association magazine "Tibetan Buddhism" which is written in Tibetan language.

Moreover, religious cultural relics such as monastic murals, statues, Thangka painting works, ancient scriptures and religious instruments are protected and maintained. Some ancient classics have received proper rescue-repairing and got republished. In Lhasa there are some 60 traditional sutra printing houses including Meru sutra-printing House and the Potala Palace sutra-printing house. The annual production of all these sutra-printing houses is 63,000 editions.