China: You need Legal Permission to Reincarnate!

This August China’s State Administration of Religious Affairs announced Order No. 5, a law covering “the management measures for the reincarnation of living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism.” This “important move to institutionalize management on reincarnation” basically prohibits Buddhist monks from returning from the dead without government permission: no one outside China can influence the reincarnation process; only monasteries in China can apply for permission.

Therefore, now, you need Chinese Government permission to be reincarnated.

It tells one how far can a leftist mind go! What is strange to me is the fear the Chinese Government has from Buddhism – of the pacifist kind! Dalai Lama has announced numerous times that he is not looking for independence but autonomy. Is that too much?

And no, it is not that the Chinese Government is anti-religious. They let Christianity proliferate freely. In fact they even pay for Chinese students to go to Regent College (a Christian college) at the Government expense! Its website introduces the college – “Regent encourages a vibrant Christianity that affirms the primacy of personal godliness and the importance of spiritual and intellectual integration in all walks of life. To this end, the College also prepares Christian leaders who will further this mission through the ministry of the local congregation.”

Hong Kong meanwhile is a missionary paradise as Ben reports.

So, what is it that China fears? Is pacifism more dangerous than rabid fundamentalism out to convert and change the cultural landscape of society after society? Well, for those who believe they can control the dead… its a tad too logical a question to ask.. dont you think?

 Technorati : China, Reincarnation