Tibet | Chinese Communist officials to run Buddhism center

Aik TC

30 Aug 17, 10:14

August 28, 2017 Macau Daily Times

China has appointed Communist Party and government officials to manage one of the world’s largest centers of Tibetan Buddhist learning, raising concerns over strengthened ideological control over religion that critics say is draining such institutions of their vitality.

The appointments at Larung Gar are the latest sign of Beijing’s distrust of members of the Tibetan Buddhist clergy who embody the region’s traditional culture and beliefs.

Those appointed to top positions by the personnel department of the Communist Party in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture include the prefecture’s former deputy police chief, the website of the party mouthpiece People’s Daily reported. All apparently ethnic Tibetans, they will serve as the head and deputy head of the Larung Gar’s party committee.

“The appointments will help the school operate in accordance with laws and will not affect its teaching, since the officials will be administrators,” Penpa Lhamo, deputy head of the contemporary studies institute of the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences was quoted as saying by the Global Times last week.

Despite that, the presence of party officials in temples, monasteries and nunneries brings new demands, especially that monks and nuns attend “patriotic education” classes that seek to instill patriotism but take precious time away from religious study.

Founded in 1980 by prominent monk Jigme Puntsok, Larung Gar has attracted increasing official attention in recent years, with the authorities currently carrying out a drive to cut the number of residents living there by half to 5,000, largely through housing demolitions and evictions. Authorities say they are merely clearing routes for firefighting equipment.

Overseas Tibetan groups say such campaigns show how authorities want to contain the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, which has grown popular among Chinese beyond traditional Tibetan areas such as Garze, which sits in the western mountains of Sichuan province.

Several United Nations special rapporteurs wrote to the Chinese government in November to express concern about “serious repression” of Buddhist Tibetan cultural and religious practices in the region. AP

Weychin

30 Aug 17, 22:51

A popular Chinese Buddhist quote:-

"Big issues resolves into small issue, small issues resolves into no issues"

The authorities just want a Chinese communist compliant religion, any religious group which if have a too large following, may challenge the government's authority.

However, if the Buddhist leadership has a truly enlightened attitude, it should do alright by it. Buddhism has a remarkable ability to assimilate into many cultures provided they are not too unreasonable. It should also be a given, authorities must not be too clumsy and heavy handed.

Holding an enlightened view, one should be unfazed with the inevitable.

There is a global trend into identity politics, which pits liberal identity against the establishment. As long as core Buddhist teachings are not subverted and there is no attempt by authorities to change core values and principles. Underlying principle of Buddhist teaching is to bring enlightenment amongst the fabric of culture and religion.

But if Tibetan identity is seen as a distinct adversarial against the central authority, resentment will arise. The authorities does not wish to encourage a rise in Tibetan nationalism, a direct threat to central authority.

Identity politics as currently being played in the West is very divisive, tearing a single national identity into to irreconcilable two, extreme left and extreme right. There might very well be someone with vested interests funding and fuelling such divisive elements.

These people have entered the realm of Asuras and if they not able to quell there anger and hatred, they may fall further to the state of hell beings.