Reincarnation Banned in Tibet
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 08/29/2007 at 2:57 PM
Newsweek reports that China is making a move to prohibit reincarnation.
In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation."
The reason for the law: the 72-year-old Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, is threatening not to be reborn in Tibet if it is under Chinese control.
By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.
Interestingly, the article cites a recent Barna Group survey that found a quarter of U.S. Christians, including 10 percent of all born-again Christians, embrace reincarnation as their favored end-of-life view. (Talk about a confused Worldview.)
It's yet to be seen if the Chinese government will be able to enforce this law. Josh, who sent me the link to this article, quipped: "Illegal reincarnation carries a sentence of life in prison. Your sentence begins immediately. Thank you."
1. Ivy said the following at 5:01 PM on Aug 29:
That's awesome. :) I'm sending this article to as many people as I can.
On a serious note, though, it's sad that people think they can believe in reincarnation and consider themselves a Christian. The Bible clearly states we live once, then die and move on to judgment.
2. Jacob MT said the following at 5:33 PM on Aug 29:
That is one of the more rediculous laws I have heard of. Also, what do they plan to do if the Dalai Lama is reincarnated in the States? Are they going to try to extradite him? (-:
It reminds me vaguely of some science fiction book, in which the main character is a hologram of his recently deceased self, being kept around as all people are, to pay their death taxes &c.
If it is true, the idea that so many Christians believe in reincarnation is very sad. We really need solid doctrine in our churches.
There appears to be another Jacob commenting now, so I will be using "Jacob MT"
3. Lauren T. said the following at 6:51 PM on Aug 29:
I'd really like to see how China thinks it's going to enforce this one...
Must be discouraging for despots to realize they can do what they want to people UNTIL they die...at which point they become kinda difficult to control.
Perhaps another reason Christianity is so unpopular with the government in China?
4. Mike Theemling said the following at 7:02 PM on Aug 29:
I didn't realize that in Buddhism/Hinduism that you could control WHAT you were reincarnted as.
If the Dalai Lama were to be reincarnated as anything but a human being I doubt he would be much of a concern for the Chinese government.
5. tmd said the following at 7:49 PM on Aug 29:
Okay, that's just plain hilarious!
6. Andrea (aka Elena) said the following at 9:44 PM on Aug 29:
Sounds like fodder for Monty Python skit.
She's the Dalai Lama!
No, I'm not!!
How do you know she's the Dalai Lama?
'Cause she looks like one!! [pauses] OK, I did shave her head.
How can government regulate what is controlled by a higher power? How can a human decide not to reincarnate? I thought that one premise of that worldview was that it wasn't up to you... but to some god (or group of gods)... you just had to work really hard to deserve to be reincarnated.
Obviously, those folks need to retake Logic 101.
I don't know which is worse: government or false religion. Then again... don't they become bedfellows in the Book of Revelation?
We shan't be surprised.
7. Nelson said the following at 12:12 AM on Aug 30:
So... does the dead person go to prison or the new born?
8. Lauren said the following at 6:43 AM on Aug 30:
So weird. Regardless of Buddhism being correct/incorrect, how BIZARRE to try to dictate something over which you can't even tangibly grasp! I would like to see how they can prove right off from a little kid that he is a reincarnated buddha/whoever. So the Chinese control who IS to be born (boys over girls) in their country, as well as who is to be RE-born (huh?).
9. v@v said the following at 9:23 AM on Aug 30:
So, I'm wondering: If you are reincarnated across borders, and say, end up in the U.S., how will that effect immigration laws?
And, does China not have more important, bigger legal fish to fry -- like say, the safety of imported products.
See, this is why the Rapture and new, glorified bodies makes perfect sense. Why would I want to be reincarnated into a another sinful, "carnal" being? I love how Jesus does things. :-)
10. Khalil said the following at 9:34 AM on Aug 30:
This is not about reincarnation and the validity of it but rather the Chinese government's interference in personal lives and religious freedoms. While it does sound "funny", there are deeper issues in play here. I like what Lauren says and would like to add the following: let's work on human rights, equality, and freedom of religion/beliefs so that there is an audience for the Gospel.
11. Canadian Boy said the following at 10:07 AM on Aug 30:
Have the Chinese law-makers been playing with any toys made in their country recently?
12. Nathan said the following at 11:19 AM on Aug 30:
I can see it now: "We're sorry, your reincarnation paperwork is not in order. Please go back to being dead.”
13. Wendy said the following at 1:17 PM on Aug 30:
I think a lot of people find reincarnation appealing because we are so attached to our lives here on earth. It's a very narrow viewpoint -who guarantees that I won't be reincarnated into some tragedy? Where does it say that I will be reincarnated as a child of a wealthy person? As much as I love my life, I'd prefer not to do it over (especially junior high).
14. brx said the following at 2:23 PM on Aug 30:
Khalil, thank you for the more serious comment. I'm curious to know if there are any readers of this blog that have more than a superficial understanding of the Tibetan/Buddhist worldview who can offer a humble commentary on what effects this Chinese legislation might have. I mean, are there some Buddhist sects that believe they have a duty to follow rules set by communal/state authority? Is this merely another example of state persecution for religious groups that might be teaching 'unauthorized' doctrine/leadership/worldview?
15. Jo said the following at 3:46 PM on Aug 30:
LOL @ Nathan.
But it really isn't funny that so many people favour the idea of reincarnation over the eternal life that God offers us. It can't even be a question of taking the easy option, since to be reincarnated as anything decent, you have to have been pretty good in your first life. I think blurring the Christian concept of eternity is something the church has been guilty of in recent times, and perhaps this is one of the results.
16. Elaine said the following at 5:45 PM on Aug 30:
Tibetan Buddhists use rites to insure that the recently deceased will be reincarnated. These include reading The Book of the Dead, praying over the the body for 49 days, and a certain kind of burial. It is likely that the Chinese government is not so much making reincarnation illegal as restricting these religious observances. How they plan on enforcing this for exiles, I can't fathom.
More likely, it is a government tactic to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama. If they have an excuse to deny entry to the men responsible to search for the child they believe to be his reincarnation, they will have more freedom to pick their own candidate.
The selection process involves the candidate identifying objects that belonged to the previous Lama, describing preferences (like food), and observing personality.
In 1989, the Chinese forbade the search committee from choosing the Pachen Lama they believed to be the reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhism's second most important Lama. The child chosen disappeared and the Chinese government used lots to determine a different replacement.
There is nothing funny about the Tibetan belief in reincarnation. For many Tibetan Buddhist, the last years of their lives are a terrifying race to earn enough merit to reincarnate well. Only the truth of the Gospel will ease their fears and give them hope after death.
17. Beau Hesterberg said the following at 11:41 PM on Aug 30:
What will be interesting to see is if there will be an international uproar against China (even though Christian rights have been gone for decades).
18. Jen said the following at 7:24 AM on Sep 1:
A response from a funny prof that I told about this:
"The Chinese government will prevent the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama by using the ancient Chinese practice of Gho Sti-Ban. It involves the use of bazillions of Post-It notes, made in the ancient city of Pilang by members of the mysterious sect known as the Sticky Wickets. The sect members take the shape of tree frogs, and by peeing in the hands of those who pick them up, they force the to-be-reincarnated spirits into the sticky notes. The notes are then swept up by a cadre of ancient Chinese grandmothers who use them to catch the tasty Giant Rats of Sumatra."