China: Tibetan Buddhism under Exploitation

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama is considering naming his successor prior to his death, breaking the tradition that has been practiced for centuries.

Usually, after the death of a Dalai Lama, senior Tibetan Buddhist officials will be guided by dreams, signs and divinations to locate a young child who believed is the reincarnated Dalai Lama. However, the Chinese government has been interfering the process and freedom of Tibetan Buddhists based on political reasons.

Since the invasion of People's Liberation Army in 1949, China has been claiming its sovereignty over Tibet from time to time despite protests from various parties. However, Tibetans remain loyal to His Holiness of Dalai Lama even after his exile to Dharamshala, India in 1959, after the Lhasa uprising was crushed by Chairman Mao Zedong. Dalai Lama has been criticized by Chinese government and viewed as separatist who involves actively in politics.

On 14 May 1995, Dalai Lama announced a six-year-old boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, in Lhari district of Nagchu, to be the Eleventh Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, China detained that boy on 17 May 1995 and replaced him with one who is and would be loyal to Chinese rule, since then Gedhun Choekyi Nyima together with his parents have not been seen.

Since 17th century Panchen Lama has acted as the religious leader when the identification of reincarnated Dalai Lama is in the process. After the death of Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama will be the ultimate authority in identifying the reincarnated Dalai Lama. Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama have alternately been the religious teacher of younger person throughout the centuries.

It is widely believed that by replacing the Panchen Lama with a false one, Chinese authorities are able to control and train the child with Chinese communist doctrine and thought, to see things from pro-Chinese standpoint, in addition, after the death of Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama will be the religious leader, responsible in identifying the reincarnated Dalai Lama, at that time it will be easy for them to replace or control the new Dalai Lama and thus secure the threat of Tibet from breaking away.

In August 2007, China issued an extremely absurd and chilling new law that came into effect on 1 September 2007 to ban Tibet's living lamas from reincarnation if permission is not granted. Those who reincarnate without approval will be considered illegal and invalid. Anyone outside China is banned from seeking and identifying a reincarnated lama. This effectively exclude the role of Dalai Lama to recognize any further reincarnated lamas.

Various nations and international organizations have strongly criticized China for the suppression and attempt to deny the rights and destroy the traditions of Tibetans. It is both immoral and injustice to further exploit the Tibetans of their religious traditions and Panchen Lama his proper religious training and spiritual responsibilities. China government should stop all brutalities set against the Tibetans, give them free reign in restoring their millenniums-long traditions and faith.

His Holiness of Dalai Lama

Missing Panchen Lama