National religious affairs administrators revealed a new
regulation regarding the reincarnation of the Living Buddha in
China's Tibet Autonomous Region yesterday. The
regulation will enter into force as of September 1.
The regulation by the State Administration of Religious Affairs
(SARA) contains 14 articles, stating the principles, conditions,
and procedures concerning the reincarnation as well as the
penalties for those who disobey regulations, according to SARA's
website.
This move indicates that China will increase legal support
toward the administration of the Living Buddha. The head of SARA,
Ye Xiaowen, said in his statement that the regulation was passed on
July 13, and will enter into force as of September 1.
There are three principal conditions for the Living Buddha. Most
local religious followers and Lama temple administrative
organizations should require his reincarnation; the reincarnation
system should be valid and passed on up to date; the temple
requiring Living Buddha's reincarnation must be a unique and legal
temple suitable for nurturing and supporting the Living Buddha.
The regulation also states that the Living Buddha has to be
initially approved by the religious affairs department of the
autonomous region or province. If the Living Buddha has great
impact on Tibetan Buddhism, he will be examined and approved by the
government of the autonomous region or province. If his influence
is significant then he has to be approved by the SARA and the State
Council. The regulation also states that upon approving such an
application, governments should solicit opinions from relevant
Buddhist associations.
If there is any self-claimed Living Buddha without government
and religious affairs department approval, this said reincarnation
would be illegal and invalid, the regulation states.
?
The Living Buddha, also known as tülku or sprul-sku, is a Tibetan
Buddhist lama who has consciously decided to be reborn many times
in order to continue his or her religious pursuits. The most
powerful tülku lineages by far for the past several hundred years
have been the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas. Since Tibet became one
of the administrative regions of Yuan Dynasty (1279 -1368) ?in
the 13th century, China's central governments have paid great
attention to the administrations and approvals of the living Buddha
of various lineages in Tibet. Emperors of the Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911) recognized both the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama
nationwide.
A preview article posted on the SARA website yesterday welcomed
the new regulation, stating that the regulation was made in
accordance with the demands of Tibetan Buddhists. The article said
that the SARA had done in-depth research during past years. They
took into consideration the various suggestions from diverse
parties and totally respected the foundation of the Tibetan Living
Buddha systems. The article said that regulating the reincarnation
would influence how China will protect religion freedom,
specifically regarding Tibetan Buddhism.
SARA said that governments would only intervene in religious
issues related to national and societal interests. They will not
intervene in any internal affairs of a religion. According to the
administration, the Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan have approved almost 1,000 Living
Buddhas since 1991, including the 11th incarnation of the Panchen
Lama in 1995.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, August 3, 2007)