On the eve of the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against China that forced him to flee to India, Beijing’s rules on whom to recognize are a source of conflict with the Dalai Lama. Gordon Fairclough reports from Kangpu, China, in the Wall Street Journal:
China’s government and its officially atheist Communist Party are working to boost control over Tibetan religious and political life by taking on a mystical phenomenon at the heart of both: reincarnation.
Beijing’s moves are part of an intensifying effort to build a Tibetan Buddhist establishment more in step with its desires as it seeks to prevent unrest among Tibetans — which is flaring again ahead of the 50th anniversary Tuesday of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.
The government’s new approach to reincarnation was on display in an unusual recent ceremony at a hilltop monastery here in southwestern China. A senior provincial official, standing before the three-tiered prayer hall, proclaimed that a local monk was the reincarnation of a respected Tibetan lama.
Reuters has an overview of some of the key issues affecting the succession and some potential scenarios.
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