Decree No. 5 of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (Ex. Kit. 国家 宗教 事务 局 令 第 5 号, trad. whale. 國家 宗教 事務 局 令 第 5 號), officially called the Measures for the Management of the Reincarnation of the Living Buddhas (ex. Kit. 藏 传 佛教 活佛 转世 管理 办法; trad. Kit. 藏 傳 佛教 活佛 轉世 管理 辦法) [1] , the agencies of the People's Republic of China , responsible for taking religion under state control. Decree number 5 states that before recognizing someone as a tulku (teacher’s reincarnation ), every Buddhist temple in a country must apply for reincarnation.
Tibetan Buddhists believe that lamas and other religious leaders can consciously influence their rebirths and often reincarnate many times to continue their religious activities. The tulku in question are translated from Chinese as living buddhas . In 2007, the Chinese government passed a resolution, which entered into force on September 1, that each of those who plan to be reborn must fill out an application and submit it to several government bodies for approval.
Content
Decree
On August 3, 2007, the Chinese State Administration of Religious Affairs issued a decree according to which all reincarnations of tulkus in Tibetan Buddhism must be approved by the government, otherwise they are "illegal and invalid." The decree states that “this is an important step towards the institutionalization of the management of reincarnations of living buddhas. The choice of the reincarnated must preserve the national unity and solidarity of all ethnic groups, and the process of this choice cannot be influenced by any group or individual from outside the country. ” The decree also requires that temples applying for the reincarnation of a living Buddha “be legally registered sites for activities related to Tibetan Buddhism, have the opportunity to educate and have decent means to support a living Buddha.” [2]
Requests for reincarnation must be submitted for approval to four government agencies, namely, the provincial administration for religious affairs, the provincial government, the State Administration for Religious Affairs and the State Council.
Regulation
The rules consist of 14 articles, including the principle, conditions, approval procedure, duties and responsibilities of religious groups for reincarnation, as well as punishment for those who break the rules. They are supposed to guarantee the normal religious activities of Tibetan Buddhism and protect the religious beliefs of Tibetan Buddhists in accordance with the law.
The State Administration for Religious Affairs stated that "the government only administers religious affairs related to state and public interests and will not interfere in purely internal religious affairs."
Impact
The official Xinhua News Agency stated that the new rules are "an important step towards the institutionalization of the management of the reincarnations of the living Buddhas." Tulku is an important element in Tibetan Buddhism, forming the clergy of influential religious figures. It is believed that they are constantly reincarnated to take their places again. Often there is more than one candidate who claims to be recognized as a real reincarnation, and the authorities decide who actually has this power. [3]
The decree was implemented in response to the clergy’s protests about the reincarnation of the living Buddhas “contrary to religious ritual and historical customs,” according to the Chinese government. [4] The loudest disputes over the life of the Buddha occurred between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government in 1995 in choosing the Panchen Lama , the second most influential in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama. From 1991 to 2007, about 1,000 living Buddhas reincarnated in China.
See also
- Life after death
- Bodhisattva
- History of the People’s Republic of China
Notes
- ↑ zh: 国 宗教 宗教 事务 事务 令 第 第 5 号） 传 佛教 活佛 转世 管理 办法 (whale) . People's Republic of China (nd). The appeal date is May 4, 2014.
- Inc Reincarnation of the living Buddha needs gov't approval China Daily (August 4, 2007). The appeal date is August 9, 2007.
- ↑ Buddhas' reincarnation red tape , Melbourne Herald (August 4, 2007). The appeal date is August 9, 2007.
- Ule Rule on living Buddhas and religious freedom , Xinhua News Agency , China Daily (27 December 2007). Archived January 1, 2008. The appeal date is July 8, 2015.