I've seen some hypocritical decisions in my time, but the latest news from China really takes the cake! In a recent 14 part regulation China's atheist leaders have once again struck a blow at Tibet's Buddhas, stating that "the so-called reincarnated living Buddha without government approval is illegal and invalid" (Macartney, 2007).
"It is the latest in a series of measures by the Communist authorities to tighten their grip over Tibet. Reincarnate lamas, known as tulkus, often lead religious communities and oversee the training of monks, giving them enormous influence over religious life in the Himalayan region. Anyone outside China is banned from taking part in the process of seeking and recognising a living Buddha, effectively excluding the Dalai Lama, who traditionally can play an important role in giving recognition to candidate reincarnates.
For the first time China has given the Government the power to ensure that no new living Buddha can be identified, sounding a possible death knell to a mystical system that dates back at least as far as the 12th century.
China already insists that only the Government can approve the appointments of Tibet’s two most important monks, the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama. The Dalai Lama’s announcement in May 1995 that a search inside Tibet — and with the co- operation of a prominent abbot — had identified the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, who died in 1989, enraged Beijing. That prompted the Communist authorities to restart the search and to send a senior Politburo member to Lhasa to oversee the final choice. This resulted in top Communist officials presiding over a ceremony at the main Jokhang temple in Lhasa in which names of three boys inscribed on ivory sticks were placed inside a golden urn and a lot was then drawn to find the true reincarnation.
The boy chosen by the Dalai Lama has disappeared. The abbot who worked with the Dalai Lama was jailed and has since vanished. Several sets of rules on seeking out “soul boys” were promulgated in 1995, but were effectively in abeyance and hundreds of living Buddhas are now believed to live inside and outside China" (Macartney, 2007).
So... in order to feel like the most powerful, they have to destroy the systems of the faithful? It makes them feel more secure on their communistic thrones?
I mean, for cripes sake! They're harboring some convoluted worries that the power the Buddha's yield will usurp their communistic authority, so why not just make their true intent known and just ban the religion altogether instead of slowly eroding the foundation?
Passing ridiculously ignorant regulations in the hopes of securing their positions and leaving the Tibetans completely dependent upon them is, to me, seriously flawed. They've already inserted themselves quite strongly into the decision making process, and booted the Dalai Lama out on his ass. Now they’ve decided he has no role in helping find the reincarnation, but they do? Oh wait... that's if they even decide to bother maintaining the belief system.
Well! That makes a whole hell of a lot of sense to me. I might bitch about the American system being screwed... but at least we aren't that screwed yet. Our intolerance and bigotry, as disgusting and abhorrent as it is, at least makes sense to me. China's system leaves me clueless.
It is astoundingly hypocritical for a government who doesn't even believe in the Buddhist system to now have the final say in a central tenet of that system. What possible reason, other than insecurity and ignorance, could they have for wanting authority over the religious beliefs of people when they don't even have a religious belief themselves? Are they seriously so insecure that they must destroy the foundations of the Buddhist system simply so they can prove they've got the power?
Yeah, way to go, China! You proved you're big and powerful... but I still think you suck.
Reference:
Macartney, 2007 from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article2194682.ece
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Just when I think I've heard it all. But I think this serves as a warning...don't do drugs, because they'd seriously have to be on something or really screwed up in the head O.O
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/npsm18
The PRC has proven time and again that it has no respect for anyone. A great deal of the Chinese are Nationalistic to the point of blindness and willingly follow the government's lead. I've heard a surprising number of them state that Falung Gong are crazy people for being so devote and thus their testimonies cannot be believed. They consider the Falung Gong on par with Taliban extremists! China also proves its disrespect to other people by continually claiming that Taiwan is a part of China, consistently blocking Taiwan's entry into world organizations because they believe it would foster the idea that Taiwan is an independent country - which it has been for more than half a century already.
The believes of the Dalai Lama are still formed in a reality, understanding thoughts better than one’s around, makes the Lama a liability