Buddhist monks are not allowed to reincarnate in China

[Jave]

Yes. The thread title means EXACTLY what it says.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20227400/site/newsweek/


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."
Wow.

[Rolling Cloud]

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How the hell can they do that?

[Captain Highwind]

Run away, Kagome! D:

[Kury Wagner]

Absolutely and just completely RIDICULOUS! The government should NOT try to control the flipping afterlife!! That's absurd.

/Kurybeingexasperated.

[Desensitized]

I laughed when I read this.

You've GOT to be joking, that is way too dumb.

[G. Wen]

How do they plan to enforce that?

[Strollymonster]

How do they plan to enforce that?

I thought it was common knowledge that the Soul Society is a branch of the Chinese government.

One can only imagine what sort of restrictions will be placed on the Flying Spaghetti monster...

[Juu-kuchi]

They might as well level the entire country, because in all likelihood everything in it has the potential to have been a reincarnation of somebody from the past.

[J'onn J'onzz]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

And I thought the U.S. government was idiotic.

[Bubblegum Girl]

Like they know anything about the afterlife and reincarnation....:rolleyes:

[GuardianKid13]

All I can say is ... Wow.:eek:

[PC!]

"Hey! Stop reincarnating! I'm warning you!"

I can't wait to hear how they plan to enforce that. XD

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Hahahahahaha

You can't make this stuff up. This is downright hilarious.

[Ackar]

Hahahahahaha

You can't make this stuff up. This is downright hilarious.


No it's not.


But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country.

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.

[Punisher]

Looks like you guys need to give the Chinese government a bit more credit.

[Harlan_Phoenix]

I gotta hand it to the Chinese, they sure know how to hit ya.

[Draft]

crap.. :D jk

Whatever, just plain weird

[The Nameless]

What the heck?!..?!?

[.bg]

Um, how are they planning on making sure they don't reincarnate?

[Beat]

So a law that's on the surface, idiotic, is designed with the intention of curbing the influence of Buddhism's most important spiritual leader.

Well, awkward approach, but a sound motivation, I'll give them that much.

[ShadowGUN]

Um, how are they planning on making sure they don't reincarnate?

By sending ninjas that can defeat them (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070831/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_china_ninja;_ylt=AjZt6F3peUPMZeEW_BIQNHCs0NUE)of course :anime: .

[Harlan_Phoenix]

So a law that's on the surface, idiotic, is designed with the intention of curbing the influence of Buddhism's most important spiritual leader.

Well, awkward approach, but a sound motivation, I'll give them that much.

Yeah, I personally thought that it was a rather genius approach.

[Mynd Hed]

No it's not.


But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country.

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.

Right, like any follower of Tibetan Buddhism is going to recognize a Dalai Lama chosen by the Chinese government. That'll happen at the same time the American Catholic League asks Louis Farrakhan to choose the next Pope.

[Gatomon41]

Yet another case of hubris and foolishness brought to you by totaltarism.

[The Guitar Slayer]

Idiotic and a good lol at first glance, but a crafty little maneuver on their behalf to get a better stranglehold on Tibet. Dalai Lama is one of the biggest thorns in China's side and has been for many years. Regardless of whether people actually believe in this appointed leader, he carries the weight and will have Chinese law behind him -- bit on the scary side once you think it all through. The Dalai Lama currently has no support from his home nation.....and he's still pretty powerful. Now imagine the man with support of China's billion plus population in the form of government enforcement.

Bad times.

[GWOtaku]

Its bullcrap like this that makes me astonished that the world awarded China with the Olympic Games and generally treats it as a respectable nation as much as it does.

[Gatomon41]

However, laws are only effective if one can enforce it. China, simpy, has no power what so ever over these matters. If reincarnation is possible, China couldn't stop it even if they had Hundred Billion people backing them. The government has no power over the spiritual world.

[GWOtaku]

Very true, I suppose it's the hubris that gets to me.

[Ackar]

However, laws are only effective if one can enforce it. China, simpy, has no power what so ever over these matters. If reincarnation is possible, China couldn't stop it even if they had Hundred Billion people backing them. The government has no power over the spiritual world.

You just don't get it.

It's not about controlling the forces of reincarnation. It's about being able to criminalize and "remove" anyone the monks declare as the successor to the Dalai Lama. This gives China control over who they want in the position of Dalai Lama.

[Conan-san]

You just don't get it.

It's not about controlling the forces of reincarnation. It's about being able to criminalize and "remove" anyone the monks declare as the successor to the Dalai Lama. This gives China control over who they want in the position of Dalai Lama. Which realy leaves the Onus in the monk's. Simple as that. Wiki aggres on this one. (Seriously)

[Gatomon41]

You just don't get it.

It's not about controlling the forces of reincarnation. It's about being able to criminalize and "remove" anyone the monks declare as the successor to the Dalai Lama. This gives China control over who they want in the position of Dalai Lama.
Regardless, China has no basis in which do decide who can be the next Dali Lama, and it's unlikely that anyone in Tibet is really going to accept the authority of a illegitimate puppet.

[Mynd Hed]

You just don't get it.

It's not about controlling the forces of reincarnation. It's about being able to criminalize and "remove" anyone the monks declare as the successor to the Dalai Lama. This gives China control over who they want in the position of Dalai Lama.

The current Dalai Lama has stated (http://www.tibet.com/DL/next-reincarnation.html) that he will not be reborn in Tibet or anyplace under Chinese control.


"Logically," he says, "the previous life escaped from Chinese hands so the next life should also be out of Chinese control." On being asked how he would like the next Dalai Lama to be installed and what changes would be beneficial to the system so that a power struggle does not break out after him, the Dalai Lama said as early as 1969 he had made it clear that it was for the Tibetans to decide whether the institution of the Dalai Lama `should continue or not'.

So China can install whomever they like in the position; the most likely scenario is that the Tibetan government-in-exile will continue unaffected, lead by their own "true" Dalai Lama. The status quo, in other words, would continue more or less as is.

[Dark Fact]

It's not about controlling the forces of reincarnation. It's about being able to criminalize and "remove" anyone the monks declare as the successor to the Dalai Lama. This gives China control over who they want in the position of Dalai Lama.
Well, that wasn't the way the news article stated on the first post. Maybe this thread needs to be re-edited to reflect on the difference between enforcing control over reincarnation and enforcing control over the one chosen as the reincarted Dalai Lama.

I swear, Karl Marx must be doing backflips in his grave over this.

[FidoMcCokefiend]

The current Dalai Lama has stated (http://www.tibet.com/DL/next-reincarnation.html) that he will not be reborn in Tibet or anyplace under Chinese control.


Well, that's good, I don't want the Chinese government trying to control my religion.