Wannabe Buddhas Must Get License To Reincarnate

by Nicole

It has to be one of the most bizarre pieces of legislation ever enacted by a government, but Chinese officials have passed a law banning Tibetan Buddhist monks from reincarnating without prior permission from four separate government departments. The directive comes into effect on Sept 1st, 2007, and is seen as a means to control the province of Tibet and the influence of its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Order No. 5, issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs for the People’s Republic of China, ironically states that, “It is an important move to institutionalize management on reincarnation of living Buddhas.” Any unapproved reincarnations will be deemed “illegal and invalid.” China’s authoritarian Communist Party government is officially atheist.

| 08/23/07 | Beliefs

is it just me or is it that every time i hear about the Chinese government they are either making something big and cool or doing something insane and stupid, its like they want a revolution to consume them in fire exposing the corruption and scandals in a whirlwind of change. Nobody can oppress a religion or people without eventually getting burned.