Buddhist Reincarnations Need Government Approval
Like rabbits, Buddhists are reincarnating at an alarming rate. It’s become such a problem that the Chinese government has decided it’s going to take drastic measures to ensure that this menace is curbed before a complete infestation of reincarnated Buddhists occurs. This is just an extension of the existing 1-child policy that pervades all elements of Chinese life. After all, there is nothing wrong with micro-managing the people; it’s just one of the prime characteristics of totalitarian authoritarianism. If a totalitarian government let its people think…
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.”
If a Buddhist wishes to reincarnate, he must first acquire permission from the Chinese government if he is to reincarnate in China.
This falls somewhere in the realm of absurd and asinine. This kind of policy makes Kansas look like a repository for elitist intellectualism. This is an attempt to censor thought, which is failure from the outset, as one cannot censor thought unless one knows it exists and one cannot know the existence of thought without said thought being expressed outwardly.
The Chinese government has this strange idea that it can control the spiritual realm… laughable at best. The spiritual is an abstract concept, as it is intangible to the world around us. It may or may not exist. Should it, it falls out of the jurisdiction of the living world, given existing philosophies surrounding it.
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.
Further, reincarnation is selectively arbitrary, occurring when certain conditions are met. This won’t discourage the Chinese government though, which has for the last 50 or so odd years, since invading Tibet in the Himalayas tried to cut off the Dalai Lama from retaining his spiritual and political ties to the Tibetan population. If it cannot quash an idea then regulating it is the next best thing.
The Chinese government isn’t the only one who seems to think it can control reincarnation, the Dalai Lama himself has come out saying that he refuses to be reborn in Tibet until the nation is free from Chinese control. This is assuming that for the last 600 years he has been able to control where he is reincarnated…
Stupidity transcends all religious boundaries and doesn’t plague just Christians and Muslims.
China Regulates Buddhist Reincarnation
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