LHASA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Baima Namgyai, a 21-year-old Tibetan monk, feels oppressed to have to help with kitchen duties in his temple.

    "I don't hate cooking because I fear hardship, but because it occupies too much of the time that I would otherwise devote to Buddhism studies,"  the monk of the Tashijapa Temple in Xaitongmoin county of Xigaze said. It is Namgyai's turn to work in the kitchen this year.

    The young monk's dream is to obtain a religious degree in Gexe from the yellow sect Gelugba school of the Tibetan Buddhism.

    Namgyai said that the degree, which is like a religious doctorate, has been a popular topic among his fellow monks since the examination system for it was restored last year.

    "We all hope to become masters of Buddhism studies, and I am afraid that I will lag behind my fellows due to cooking," the monk said.

    Examinations for Gexe were suspended in 1987 after a riot in Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet, was timed to coincide with that year's examination.

    In the Tibetan language, Gexe means knowledgeable. Six lamas received the honor of Lharampa, the highest of the four ranks in the Gexe system,  in June this year.

    The six laureates were awarded the title after they defended their dissertations before a 16-member panel, composed of high-ranking lamas from different monasteries and Tibetan Buddhism experts, at the Monlam Qemo, or the Grand Summon Ceremony, held in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.

    The ceremony was launched by Zongkaba, the founder of the Gelugba sect, in 1409. 

    Monasteries can themselves grant the other three ranks to their monks after examinations.

    To Namgyai, a Gexe degree carries more weight than other academic honors.

    "As a monk, it is more important for me to obtain philosophical apperception and keen insight into Buddhism doctrines," he said. "A monk who can only recite sutras but cannot find cohesion between Buddhism teachings and the mundane life will not be able to pray from the bottom of his heart for the bliss of all the living beings."

    Jigme Chagba from the Gandan Monastery in Lhasa, the birthplace of the Gelugba school, the yellow sect of the Tibetan Buddhism, was one of the six laureates of Lharampa Gexe.

    The 73-year old monk felt gratified that the Buddhist academic system was restored.

    "My lifelong wish to obtain the degree was fulfilled. I believe many other monks now have a clearer aim in their daily Buddhism studies, " he said.

    More than 30 lamas in the monastery are now qualified to be candidates for the degree, but only two of them will be lucky enough to sit for the Lharampa examination each year, said Ngagwang, a lama with the temple's administrative committee.

    Monks who want to attend the final test have to stand out among all in their temple, said Ngagwang. There are 450 monks in the monastery.

    He said that the competition for the honor will become more fierce in the future, as "it is not only a test of religious learning among lamas  but also a contest of Buddhism education quality among temples."

    In addition to the traditional dissertation, a candidate for the Gexe degree now also has to pass a test of general knowledge.

    "Gexe holders must be versed in Buddhism. In the new era, however, it is advisable for them to learn some Chinese and English as well as scientific knowledge in order to better spread the spirit of the Tibetan Buddhism,"  said Jigme Chagba.  Enditem