Japan Tour Ends with Audiences for Tibetans, Mongolians and Chinese

Tokyo, Japan, 18 April 2014 - Before leaving for the airport and his flight back to India this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama made time to meet separately with groups of Chinese, Mongolians and Tibetans.

Meeting first with more than 100 people from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and China he said:

“Wherever I go I try to meet with Chinese friends. Tibetans and Chinese have had relations with each other since the time of Songtsen Gampo. Sometimes we’ve fought, but for more than one thousand years we’ve shared an interest in Buddhism. This began when Songtsen Gampo took a Chinese and a Nepalese wife. So I often tell Chinese Buddhists that I respect you as the senior students. Similarly, when I’m talking to Indians I tell them that as far as we are concerned Indians are our gurus and we are the disciples. And I mention that in times of trouble we look to the gurus and senior students for help. I have been to Taiwan several times and many Chinese have come to Dharamsala so our people to people relations have improved.”

He pointed out that when we don’t know what the real situation is it gives rise to suspicion, which is unhelpful and unnecessary. If we are able to meet and learn what’s really going on it makes for happier relations. He said that he had been recommending that Tibetans reach out to China even before the Tiananmen incident took place, but until that point people from mainland China avoided contact with Tibetans. After it happened they came round and connections became stronger. He added that even today it seems a lot Chinese are out of touch with reality; therefore he suggested that people from Taiwan and Hong Kong, who have a better idea about what’s going on, should do what they can to help the people of China become better informed.“For example, although it might seem inappropriate to say so, those people in Tibet who have the courage to commit self-immolation are clearly capable of harming others, but have determined not to do so. Despite the difficulties they face they still follow the Buddha’s teaching about non-violence. This may not be clearly understood.”

He said that he has heard that recently in Tibet, where Tibetans used to work as tour guides they have been replaced by Chinese who denigrate Tibetan people to Chinese and other tourists. When Tibetans approach such groups to sell things to them they shoo them away. He suggested that problems between Tibet and China could be resolved, but hardliners continue to accuse Tibetans of being splittists.

“Since 1973 we decided not to take that line. Direct contact with China began in 1979 and we had already decided our stand. What we are asking for is the implementation of provisions already recognised in the Chinese constitution. Hardliners use the phrase ‘Greater Tibet’, but there is already recognition of Tibetan regions, prefectures and counties that share a common culture and language. We want these provisions fulfilled on an equal basis.

Audience members during the meeting with groups from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and China, listening to His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking in Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 2014.
Photo/Office of Tibet, Japan
“Because the Tibetan language is a focus of our identity its use is discouraged. But as you know, the Tibetan language today is the best medium for explaining Buddhist philosophy and science. Sanskrit is no longer a living language and although there is substantial Buddhist literature available in Chinese, Tibetan translations are more accurate. So this issue is not just the concern of the Tibetan people, it’s about the expression of Buddhism in the world, the most comprehensive teaching of which is preserved in Tibetan.

“The existence of different languages is not a threat. Look at India, many people there speak and write in different languages without it being a threat to the country. When they enjoy equal rights under the rule of law people can live together in freedom and equality. Tibetans having their own language is not in itself a threat.”

He went on to mention that Hu Jintao’s idea of promoting a harmonious society was admirable, but it couldn’t be fulfilled by use of force. Friendship and harmony need to be based on trust not fear. Meanwhile the internal security budget in China exceeds the defence budget. His Holiness suspected that of the 200 countries in the world, this is only true of China. He concluded by saying that if harmony and respect prevailed between Tibetans and Chinese they could live together.

He invited questions from his listeners and the first was an invitation to come to Taiwan. His Holiness replied that since his first visit he had thought about coming to Taiwan every other year, but he hasn’t received government approval to do so. He said he’d wondered about making a transit stop in Taiwan on his way back from Okinawa, but that too was not approved. A woman who suggested that relations between Hong Kong and China have worsened lately asked how to stick to the path of non-violence. His Holiness responded that Tibetans have maintained a strictly non-violent approach for more than 50 years but it hasn’t yet solved the problem. He pointed out that in democratic countries there is transparency and that transparency is clearly better than secrecy and suspicion. Since the arrival of Xi Jinping there seems to be some improvement and he seems at least interested in seeking truth from facts.

“Don’t be discouraged,” he said.

Another questioner wanted to know if there was any chance of His Holiness coming to China and he reminded her that in the fourth round of meetings his representatives had had with the Chinese, he had expressed interest in making a pilgrimage to Wu Taishan, but like his plan to come to Taiwan, it wasn’t approved.

Meeting a group of about 50 Mongolians His Holiness praised the friendship and cultural ties Tibetans and Mongolians have long shared. He said:

“In the 20th century you faced great tragedy and Buddhism in Mongolia went into decline. Tibetans are facing similar problems now. But relations between Tibetans and Mongolians go back hundreds of years to when we roamed the land as nomads. Now that you have regained your freedom, you must use the opportunity well. There are too many examples in Africa of what can go wrong when freedom and democracy are misused. With democracy comes responsibility. Today, Mongolians place great faith in the Dharma, but faith based on reason is even firmer and more stable, so study is important. In the past there were many great scholars who came from Mongolia. However, understanding of Buddhism needs to be combined with basic modern education. Tibet was backward in terms of modern education and technological development and we lost our country.”

His Holiness advised Mongolians to emulate the determination exemplified by their people at the time of Genghis Khan. But today they need that kind of courage combined with intelligence. He said that he has also counselled Indians to focus development efforts in villages, not only in cities. Schools, hospitals and other facilities need to be provided to people in the rural areas where they live.

He recalled that there are now 300 Mongolian monks studying in the main Tibetan monasteries in South India who will be able to contribute to the flourishing of the Dharma in the future.

When he met with Tibetans who live in Japan His Holiness said he didn’t have a lot to say because he has been able to meet them quite often.

“My meetings with scientists and the ongoing dialogues I’ve had with them have reinforced my appreciation of the marvellous qualities of Tibetan language to describe how to deal with the mind and emotions. English is not yet adequate, the best language in this area is Tibetan. That’s something we can be proud of. After all, Buddhism is important as one of the great world religions.

“As I mentioned earlier when I met with some Chinese, self-immolations are still going on in Tibet. Those who do this clearly could, but don’t, choose to harm others. Despite everything, they don’t want to breach the basic Buddhist pledge not to hurt others. Even Chinese visitors to Tibet report that Tibetans are a kind and compassionate people. This is one of the reasons why our cause commands respect today. Keep up this moral standard, don’t be deceitful. Things are changing in China. People inside Tibet still have an unflinchingly strong spirit. We all have to keep this up. In the USA our representative office has moved to Washington DC, but I have suggested that a branch office be  maintained in New York to be focussed on keeping Tibetans in touch with each other. We have to stick together. Tashi delek.”

His Holiness then drove directly to Narita airport to board his flight to India. Representative Lhakpa Tshoko, who will shortly be transferred to Australia, Lungtok, who is to be his successor as Representative in Japan and East Asia and Tsering Dorje from the Representative’s office, were all there to see him off at the end of a successful two weeks in Japan.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping hopes traditional faiths can fill moral void in China: sources

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BEIJING, China  -- President Xi Jinping believes China is losing its moral compass and he wants the ruling Communist Party to be more tolerant of traditional faiths in the hope these will help fill a vacuum created by the country's breakneck growth and rush to get rich, sources said.

<< A monk is seen through an incense burner inside a temple as snow falls in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, in this February 19, 2013 file photo. REUTERS-William Hong-Files (CHINA)

Xi, who grew up in Mao's puritan China, is troubled by what he sees as the country's moral decline and obsession with money, said three independent sources with ties to the leadership.

He hopes China's "traditional cultures" or faiths - Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism - will help fill a void that has allowed corruption to flourish, the sources said.

Skeptics see it as a cynical move to try to curb rising social unrest and perpetuate one-party rule.

During the early years under Communism, China's crime rate was low and corruption rare. By contrast, between 2008 and 2012 about 143,000 government officials - or an average of 78 a day - were convicted of graft or dereliction of duty, according to a Supreme Court report to parliament in March.

Xi intensified an anti-corruption campaign when he became party and military chief in November, but experts say only deep and difficult political reforms will make a difference.

Meanwhile, barely a day goes by without soul-searching on the Internet over what some see as a moral numbness in China - whether it's over graft, the rampant sale of adulterated food or incidents such as when a woman gouged out the eyes of her six-year-old nephew this month for unknown reasons.

"Xi understands that the anti-corruption (drive) can only cure symptoms and that reform of the political system and faiths are needed to cure the disease of corruption," one of the sources told Reuters, requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions for discussing elite politics.

Government agencies would moderate policies towards Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in the hope these faiths would also help placate the disaffected who cannot afford homes, education and medical treatment, the sources said.

"The influence of religions will expand, albeit subtly," a second source said, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Traditional cultures will not be comprehensively popularized, but attacks on them will be avoided."

Skeptics described such tactics as a ploy to divert blame away from the party for the many problems that anger ordinary Chinese, from corruption to land grabs.

"Buddhists accept their destiny and blame their predicament on the bad deeds they did in their previous lives," said Hu Jia, an AIDS activist and Buddhist who has been intermittently under house arrest since his release in 2011 after serving 42 months in prison for subversion.

GENUINE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM?

Religious freedom is enshrined in the constitution but the officially atheist Communist Party has no qualms about crushing those who challenge its rule. The party is paranoid and would remain vigilant against cults and feudal superstition, the sources added.

China banned Falun Gong as a cult and has jailed hundreds, if not thousands, of adherents since 1999. Former president Jiang Zemin also defrocked and put under house arrest a six-year-old boy anointed by the Dalai Lama as the second holiest figure in Tibetan Buddhism in 1995.

"Relaxation and suppression go hand in hand," said Nicholas Bequelin, of New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"In China, religion must serve the state," Bequelin said. "There is greater religious freedom in China ... but to what extent is the party ready to allow genuine religious freedom?"

Washington will also need convincing.

In its 2012 report on international religious freedom, the U.S. State Department said Chinese officials and security organs scrutinized and restricted the activities of registered and unregistered religious and spiritual groups.

The government harassed, detained, arrested or sentenced to prison a number of adherents for activities reportedly related to their religious beliefs and practice, it said.

Indeed, conservatives in the party still frown on what they see as "religious infiltration". Zhu Weiqun, a vice chairman of the top advisory body to parliament, warned in an interview with China Newsweek magazine in June that party members should not even practice any religion.

Others think change is in the air.

"This is for real," Lin Chong-Pin, a Taipei-based veteran China watcher and former government policymaker, said by telephone. "To save the party and the state from the current crises, Xi must fill the spiritual void."

A "SPIRITUAL CIVILISATION"

In a sign of the changes Xi wants, Zhang Lebin, deputy director of the Bureau of Religious Affairs, wrote a commentary in July in the party's mouthpiece, the People's Daily, that said "treating religions well should become a common consensus ... and the right to practice religions should be protected".

The following month, Xi called for building both a "material and spiritual civilization" - Communist jargon for growth and morality.

Back in February, Xi met Taiwan's top Buddhist monk, Hsing Yun, in Beijing along with a delegation of dignitaries from the self-ruled island which Beijing claims as its own.

Meetings between top Chinese and religious leaders are rare.

Hsing Yun was banned from China in the early 1990s for giving sanctuary to a senior Chinese official at his temple in the United States after the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. He is now a bestselling author in China.

"President Xi and his family have feelings for Buddhism," said Xiao Wunan, executive vice chairman of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, a Beijing-backed non-governmental organization.

In yet another sign, Yu Zhengsheng, ranked fourth in the Communist hierarchy, visited five temples in Tibetan areas in July and August and a mosque in western Xinjiang province in May - unprecedented for such a senior leader in terms of frequency.

MAO PURGED CONFUCIUS, POSTHUMOUSLY

China estimates it has 50 million practitioners of Buddhism and Taoism, 23 million Protestants, 21 million Muslims and 5.5 million Catholics,

Independent experts put the number of practitioners of Buddhism, Taoism and folk religions at between 100-300 million.

Chinese emperors embraced Confucianism for centuries, encouraging the philosopher's teachings of filial piety and respect for teachers and authority. Mao then posthumously purged Confucius in the early 1970s.

Confucianism has since made a comeback, although not a smooth one.

A 9.5-metre (30-foot), 17-tonne statue of Confucius was erected in 2011 outside a Beijing museum adjacent to Tiananmen Square, not far from a portrait of Mao which overlooks the area. It vanished weeks later with no official reason given. Conservatives celebrated its removal, which came on the heels of an online uproar about the statue's location.

Buddhism was virtually wiped out during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution when temples were shut and Buddhist statues smashed.

It has crept back although China maintains tight control in Tibet where monks and nuns have been jailed for their loyalty to the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Communist rule.

About 120 Tibetans have set themselves alight in protest against Chinese rule since 2009. Most have died.

Taoism, or Daoism, a philosophy-turned-religion preaches living in harmony with nature and simplicity.

Nevertheless, despite the emphasis on fostering more openness for traditional faiths, one thing in the world's second biggest economy will remain the same.

"Economic development is still the No. 1 (priority). Moral development is No. 2," the third source said.

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Chinese Buddhist leader dies at 66

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HOHHOT, China -- Jia Lasen, vice head of the Buddhist Association of China and a top Buddhist leader in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, died at the age of 66 on Sunday, according to local authorities.

Jia, who was also a member of the 10th, 11th and 12th national committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, died of an unspecified illness in Hohhot, the regional capital, according to the region's Communist Party of China (CPC) United Front Work Department.

The Buddhist Association of China sent message of condolence to the Buddhist association of Inner Mongolia on Sunday.

Jia Lasen was elected head of the Buddhist association of Inner Mongolia in 2004.

Jia, a Mongolian, was also a professor at Inner Mongolia University.

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Indonesia Islam leaders stir row over 'Buddhist' Chinese New Year

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Jakarta, Indonesia -- As Indonesia and other countries with Chinese diasporas welcome the Year of the Snake, some Islamic leaders have ignited a religious row by declaring the celebrations “haram” and off limits for Muslims.

<< Two Muslim women visit a Buddhist temple in Jakarta. Photo: AFP

After decades of repression under the dictatorship of Suharto, who rose to power after a bloody purge of communists and Chinese in the late 1960s, Chinese-Indonesians are now accepted in mainstream society of the largely Muslim nation.

Lunar New Year is also now a public holiday in Indonesia, where it is known as “Imlek”.

But a local leader of the country’s top Muslim clerical body has declared the celebration “haram” (forbidden), saying its rituals are tied up with Buddhist practices, particularly those that take place in temples.

“We cannot separate religion from culture, so we’re being cautious,” Zainal Arifin, head of the Indonesian Ulema Council in the city of Solo, told news agency AFP.

“And if it’s part of a religious ritual, we must not celebrate it. It’s the same case with Christmas and other religious celebrations.”

The hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) said clerics would spread the message to Muslims through mosque loudspeakers, and warn Chinese-Indonesians not to invite Muslims to celebrations.

But ethnic Chinese leaders say such comments about a traditional festival are illogical and a sign of outdated thinking in some Islamic organisations.

“Chinese New Year is not a religious celebration and it’s especially not a Buddhist celebration,” said Andrew Susanto, president of the Chinese-Indonesian Youth Association.

He said marking the Lunar New Year was no different to celebrating the new year in other cultures.

“I don’t think that’s what most Indonesians think,” he said, adding the festivities have over time become an Indonesian tradition.

Despite the cleric’s comments, a Javanese-style Lunar New Year celebration was held in Solo last week, with thousands joining a procession akin to those commemorating Islamic holidays.

Local monks released 888 songbirds and catfish – eight being a lucky Chinese number – and distributed cakes to the jovial crowd.

Chinese-Indonesians make up around nine million of the nation’s 240 million people, most practising Christianity, Buddhism or Confucianism.

Suharto, who ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for more than three decades until 1998, banned Chinese languages and symbols, and forced Chinese-Indonesians to change their names.

His rule began after an anti-Communist purge in 1965-1966, in which at least 500,000 people considered communists or sympathisers – many Chinese – were killed and others tortured. Rights activists say two million perished.

Abdurrahman Wahid, an Islamic religious leader and politician who became the first elected president after Suharto stepped down, lifted the ban on Chinese culture in 2000, allowing ethnic Chinese to once again openly celebrate Lunar New Year.

In Glodok – Jakarta’s Chinatown which was reduced to rubble in the 1998 riots at the end of Suharto’s rule – two Muslim women wearing headscarves soaked up the atmosphere, as vendors sold traditional red money envelopes and cobra oil to mark the Year of the Snake.

“I’m Muslim, so I don’t myself take part in celebrations,” said one of the women, Widi Astudi, 37, as she visited a Buddhist temple Friday.

“But Indonesia is a tolerant country, and the Chinese here are Indonesians, so there’s no harm in visiting the temples and appreciating how they celebrate.”

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Chinese copper mine triggers nationwide protests led by Buddhist clergy

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Yangon, Myanmar -- Protests against a China-backed copper mine have spread throughout the South-east Asian nation of Myanmar, with members of the Buddhist clergy at the fore of demonstrations.

The Global Post reports that the protest movement against the Letpadaung copper mine has been inflamed by a brutal government crackdown on local demonstrations at the end of November, spreading far beyond the cluster of farming villages directly affected by the project.

Demonstrators led by Buddhist monks have staged hundreds of rallies throughout the country, with protests also held in the major cities of Yangon and Mandalay.

Local residents have long expressed concern over the environmental and health impact of the project, with many claiming that the mine's operation has left well water unfit for consumption and led to an increase in birth defects.

The extensive land grabs entailed by the project also inflamed local sentiment. Eurasia Review reports that 7,800 acres of farmland in the area have been confiscated and farmers from 66 villages forcibly relocated.

The development of the Letpadaung copper mine has seen the excavation of ore-rich mountains in the area, as well as the construction of a sulfuric acid factory near local communities and the dumping of contaminated waste soil from copper processing.

The mine is a joint venture between China's Wangbao and the military-controlled Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings.

Following the staging of twenty-four hour protests by both monks and local villagers at the end of November, the government said explicitly to demonstrators that it was scared of compromising Chinese interests in Myanmar. Authorities then imposed a harsh crackdown on protests using water cannons and incendiary devices, leaving dozens of people injured.

The protest movement is a major blow to Chinese interests in the region, who have sought to deploy "soft power" to shore up access to minerals and energy.

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Chinese Buddhism owes a lot to Gandhara Civilisation, envoy’s book

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Singapore and author of the book “Chinese Made Easy” Syed Hasan Javed joined Quaid-e-Azam University faculty, scholars and students on Thursday to give an insight into the history of cultural and religious relationship between Pakistan and China.

The event, which also a seminar, on “Gandharan Buddhist Heritage: A bond between Pakistan and China”, organised by the Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations (TIAC) at QAU, also saw the launch of “Chinese Made Easy”.

Javed encouraged students to retrace the historical context of Buddhism is vital as only limited research has been conducted on this area which still needs to be explored. “Chinese Made Easy” with its unique features is likely to become the most favourite learning Mandarin book first of its kind in Pakistan and also in the world. This book has Chinese characters, Pinyin, English translation, Roman Urdu, Urdu pronunciation and translation, in addition to rich vocabulary and specific needs based lessons. It also includes Chinese language metaphors as pearls of wisdom as an ‘icing on the cake’.

While expressing his gratitude to Javed in initiating academic collaboration abroad, QAU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Masoom Yasinzai said, “Today’s seminar garners special importance due to two facts. First, it enlightened us about so many aspects of our history. Secondly, it is valuable in terms of contributing to our historical consciousness and in turn giving us a clear vision about our future course of action. I believe that such kind of discourses and activities can be used in our nation building process. We are looking forward for signing MoUs with the Buddhist Federation of Singapore and the Institute of South Asia, a step which will further the cause of knowledge and research in Pakistan.”

He also apprised the audience that Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations, QAU has also signed a MoU with the IsIAO Italian Archaeological Mission aiming at the promotion of academic collaboration between the two institutes. Similarly, its MoU with the Department of the Antiquity Sciences, La Sapienza of Rome, is also an encouraging step to promote scientific co-operation between Pakistan and Italy.

Javed mentioned that knowing the Chinese language will help us in fostering the diplomatic relationship with China, undoubtedly an important country due to its economic stability in the region. He explained different sources of Chinese civilisation value systems, ancient civilisation contacts between Pakistan and China, and how ancient Chinese missionaries travelled through/ to the Gandhara regions of Pakistan; even some Buddhist pilgrims visited Fata. Author illuminated the audience how Buddhism became popular in China due to its appeal to moral, virtues, purity of life and spirituality which are basic attributes of Chinese people.

TIAC Director Prof Dr M Ashraf Khan also expressed great pleasure for hosting such a grandiose academic event. According to him, the book is of vital importance in respect to the bilateral relations between the states of Pakistan and China and the people of the two republics. “Of course, one of the great religions of the world, Buddhism reached China from Gandhara, the later being one of the great centres of this religion.

Many Buddhist teachers went to China for the propagation of Buddhism. I hope that the speech by Javed will cover the scope of this important episode of our history.” Former foreign secretary Akram Zaki referred to Javed as a man of deep passion and commitment who has well researched the Chinese civilisation. Zaki gave great importance to developing friendly relationship between China and Pakistan.

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The Price of Faith: Chinese Buddhist Sites Plan IPOs

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China’s four most sacred Buddhist mountains are hatching plans to list on the Shanghai stock exchange.

Beijing, China -- In China today, there’s little that money can’t buy — even when it comes to faith. Many of the country’s most popular Buddhist sites are chock-full of cure-all tonics and overpriced incense.

<< TIM STELZER / GETTY IMAGES
Buddhists pray at Putuo Shan, Zhejiang Province, China.

For the most part, people seem happy, or at least willing, to oblige. That changed this summer, though, when it emerged that China’s four most sacred Buddhist mountains were hatching plans to list on the Shanghai stock exchange.

In July, Mount Putuo Tourism Development Co. announced it would attempt to raise 7.5 billion yuan in a 2014 initial public offering. The company operates the tourist facilities at Putuo Shan, located on an island 20 miles (32 km) off Shanghai. Chinese state media quoted representatives of Wutai Shan in Shanxi province and Jiuhua Shan in Anhui province as saying they too had plans to raise funds on the capital markets. The fourth of China’s sacred mountains, Emei Shan in Sichuan province, completed a public listing in Shenzhen in 1997, under the incredibly auspicious ticker symbol “888.”

The IPO plans have not played well. The four mountains are revered by Chinese Buddhists as the earthly homes of four bodhisattvas — holy people who have attained enlightenment but have returned to earth to help others attain nirvana. Now, though, they have become symbols of commercial excess, with critics charging that they have crossed an invisible spiritual line. “Does Buddha Love Money Too?” asked a provincial newspaper in Hunan. “Buddhist Mountain IPOs Bring Shame,” screamed a headline in the National Business Daily. “These temples are sacred places, they shouldn’t be listed, it goes against the idea of religion,” Jiang Zhaoyong, a well-known social commentator and former editor of a Hong Kong newspaper, says. “This is a spiritual thing — how can you measure that with money?”

The officials who run the sites disagree. They emphasize that hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and tourists visit the sites every year and argue that the listings are necessary to maintain the mountains and develop facilities for visitors. Indeed, in an interview with the Shanghai-based Dongfang Daily, the head of the Putuo Shan tourism office said that the funds raised through the IPO would be used to improve accommodation, transportation and restaurants on Putuo island and nearby areas.

The strategy is not entirely new. Perhaps the most infamous ecclesiastical entrepreneur in China is the abbot of Shaolin Temple, spiritual home of Zen Buddhism and site of the world-famous martial-arts school. Since Shi Yongxin, the youngest abbot in the history of the temple, took charge in 1999 he has launched several ambitious moneymaking ventures, including a Hollywood-style movie based, very loosely, on the history of the temple, a franchise operation to license the Shaolin name to other temples, and an online store selling, among other things, a book called The Secret of Shaolin Martial Arts. The book retails for $1,500.

Critics see such revenue-generating ventures as gateways to religious commercialism, even corruption. On a recent visit to Putuo Shan, Li Chengpeng, a top social commentator in China, was accosted by groups of fortune-telling monks looking for money. “I got up at 4 a.m. to visit the Puji Temple on the mountain and ran into a group of shaven-headed monks dressed in traditional cassocks who jumped on me, telling me ‘You should do some good deeds to ensure a prosperous future,’” Li recalls. He says his offer of 200 yuan was rebuffed. “They demanded 400 [yuan] instead. Later I realized they are all cheats. Real monks are all in their morning classes at that hour. How could they be walking around and asking for alms?”

And it’s not just a couple of crooks, Li contends. He sees religious IPOs as just another example of the national obsession with gaining wealth. “How can you tell when a generation is in trouble?” he asks. “It’s when its religion, its priests, its temples and its churches are all for hiding their faith in order to achieve ulterior motives.” Liu Wei, deputy director of the No. 1 Division at the State Administration for Religious Affairs, said at a press conference earlier this summer that temples should operate as nonprofit organizations, serving the religious needs of the public. “Looking at other countries in the world, there are no other examples of religious sites listing publicly,” he said. “There have to be boundaries in the development of a market economy.”

Nonetheless, business is booming. Emei Shan’s share price has risen 17% since the start of the year, and analysts are feeling optimistic. “Since a rising of ticket price is very likely, and the Chengdu–Mt. Emei Express Railway is going to be put into operation in 2013, we are confident about [Emei Shan’s] growth in 2013–2014,” Haitong Securities’ analyst Lin Zhouyong wrote in a recent report. It seems that despite the moral outrage, investors have faith.

Source: http://world.time.com/2012/09/27/the-price-of-faith-chinese-buddhist-sites-plan-ipos/#ixzz27xpsBfQd

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Self-immolation cases spread beyond monks, nuns in Tibet over Chinese repression

On Wednesday, two more young Tibetans, a mother and a monk, set themselves on fire in protest against the continued exile of the Dalai Lama and the lack of freedom in Tibet, raising the number of Tibetan self-immolations to 45, most of them having taken place since March 2011.
The immolations started with Buddhist monks and nuns, who see themselves in an increasingly desperate struggle for the ancient land and its people, and who say that their Tibetan identity and faith is being stamped out by aggressive Chinese policies and actions.

Yet, 13 of the self-immolations in Tibet this year suggest that ordinary Tibetans are starting to torch themselves, and that the cases appear to be spreading geographically and are less confined to a few dissident monasteries.
"The self-immolations have now jumped a number of fences. There are more of them and they are more diverse," Christian Science Monitor quoted Steven Marshall, a member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China in Washington, who had extensive experience in Tibet in the 1980s and 1990s, as saying.

"We are seeing immolations in the lay community, not only among monks and nuns where it started. It is also spreading into a greater area, not just the [Tibet Autonomous Region], but Qinghai and Gansu [provinces abutting the Tibet Autonomous Region]."

While the Dalai Lama has consistently opposed self-immolations as a violation of the sacredness of life, Tibetans are continuing to do it in an act seen as indicative of their depth of desperation."They are calling for Dalai Lama's return because they are in this very serious moment, very serious, in which the Tibetan nation, identity, culture, the spiritual tradition, are all being closed down by Chinese aggression," Kate Saunders, the spokeswoman for International Campaign for Tibet in London, said.

In Tibetan monasteries, China continues to oversee aspects of religious instruction, control the appointment of teachers, give patriotic loyalty tests-actions that many Tibetans protest as serious infringements by Beijing on the faith.
Photos of the Dalai Lama in Tibet are forbidden.

"All monasteries must display pictures of Mao Zedong and Chinese President Hu Jintao and fly the Chinese flag. In numerous monasteries, forced patriotic reeducation campaigns are under way," states Lobsang Sangay, who now heads a newly democratic government in exile in Dharamsala, India, in a statement this week.

Some Tibetan experts say the past year of self-immolations represent a "tipping point" in the deepening clashes between locals and Chinese authorities.
The region, meanwhile, is shut off from most foreign and Western journalists, NGOs, and human rights groups.

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Tibetan delegates forced to leave conference due to Chinese pressure

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Three Tibetan delegates left the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) conference after China's delegation threatened boycott

Yeosu, South Korea -- Three Tibetan delegates were forced to leave the delegates’ assembly meeting after Chinese officials threatened to boycott the 26th World Fellowship of Buddhist Conference’s delegate’s assembly on June 12th, 2012 claiming that they represent Tibet’s government-in-exile.

Two Tibetans, including a senior envoy of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, are in Korea to attend the biannual event currently being held in the coastal city. The two are Samdong Rinpoche, a former prime minister of Tibet’s government-in-exile, and Pema Chhinjor, minister of religion and culture.

AFP reports a spokesperson stating that “The WFB secretary-general accepted the Chinese demand that the Tibetans leave so the meeting could go smoothly,” as the spokesperson “...called the decision by the WFB chairman ‘embarrassing.’ ”

The Chinese delegation left for Busan on Wednesday morning in a vehicle provided by the Chinese Embassy, the organizing committee said.

Seventeen delegates from China and the Chairman of the WFB returned to their home countries on early morning of June 14th, 2012 in what was said to be an apparent protest against Tibetan participation.

The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the main organizers of the the 26th World Fellowship of Buddhist Conference of South Korea, criticized the Chinese delegations’ actions and showed support to the Tibetan delegations.

In a statement released on June 14th, 2012, the Jogye Order criticized the actions of the Chinese delegations stating, “...Tibetan participation is a WFB approved representation, and the Chinese delegation’s apparent protest against Tibetan participation goes against values of what the Buddhist communities across the globe stands for...” 

The Jogye Order also states, “Through the World Fellowship of Buddhists Conferences in South Korea, we hope that the Buddhist communities across the globe can once again  recognize Tibetan Buddhism warm heartedly, and we also actively wish for Tibetan Buddhism to be freely practiced in Tibet.”

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Cradle of Han Chinese Buddhism Has first Buddhist College

Located in the scenic Tongbai Mountains known for their monastic heritage, HBC covers an area of 6.96 hectares. The main architectural complex is in the style of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and comprises the monastery, classrooms, an administrative building, residential quarters and a Buddhist cultural center.

Venerable masters from temples at home and abroad, prominent scholars as well as Buddhist disciples across the country gathered at Sunday's ceremony, presided by Shi Yongxin, the incumbent abbot of the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of kong fu, and vice president of the Buddhist Association of China.

Zhang Lebin, vice president of China's State Administration for Religious Affairs, said the founding of HBC is significant in promoting the sound development of Buddhism in China and nurturing outstanding Sangha members with expertise.

Henan is known as the entry point of Buddhism in China from India nearly 2,000 years ago. It is in Henan that China's first Buddhist temple, White Horse Temple, was established. Henan is also home to the ancestral temple of Zen Buddhism, the Shaolin Temple, as well as China's first royal temple, the Daxiangguo Temple.

However, the shortage of qualified Sangha members poses a challenge for Chinese Buddhism in modern society. An official survey by Henan Provincial Buddhist Association showed that only 30 percent of the leaders of Henan's more than 500 temples have received proper higher education.

HBC emphasizes the study of the original Buddhist scriptures and literature, including the history of Buddhist thinking in India and the history of Buddhist schools in China, according to the Venerable Long Zang, HBC's vice president and dean.

"Besides the traditional practice and development of morality, meditation and wisdom, HBC also trains Sangha members with courses such as English, computer science, and Buddhist painting," said the Venerable Long Zang.

The college has enrolled more than 40 students since it welcomed its first batch of students in March 2011.

"I definitely had a hard time adjusting myself to a vigorous daily schedule here in the college. But I know it takes time to truly comprehend the spirit of Buddha," said Tan Jing, a monk student originally from Beijing.

Ming Chen, a local monk student from Henan, explained why he decided to renounce the world and be ordained as a monk. "The rampant moral corruption and money fetish have turned me disillusioned. To join the Sangha and study in the college is the best way for me to pursue the truth of life and benefit others."

"Education in a Buddhist college is neither vocational training nor the attainment of a piece of diploma. Instead, it's an education of life," said the Venerable Long Zang. "For a monk student, the best perspective upon graduation is to find a direction worth striving for," he added.

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Chinese town under siege as Tibetan monks protest

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ABA TOWN, China -- Police in full riot gear carrying automatic rifles and iron bars stand guard outside a huge Tibetan monastery in southwest China, the scene of a series of self-immolations by Buddhist monks.

<< Kirti Monastery

The residents of the Kirti monastery - one of the most important in Tibetan Buddhism - have been living under these siege-like conditions since a young monk set light to himself in protest at religious repression in March and died.

Since then, rights groups say five monks have burned themselves to death at the monastery in the small town of Aba, where a Buddhist nun this week became the first woman to self-immolate in a dramatic escalation of the protests.

Hours after the death of the nun Tenzin Wangmo on Monday, two AFP journalists gained rare access to the town in Sichuan province, high on the Tibetan plateau and famous for its centuries-old Buddhist temples.

Rights groups say nine monks and nuns have now set themselves alight in Sichuan and surrounding areas, with Aba town and the Kirti monastery becoming a flashpoint for the mounting anger at the erosion of Tibetan culture.

Police, many carrying riot shields and armed with clubs and iron, lined the streets of the town, which has a population of around 20,000 mainly ethnic Tibetans who say their culture is being eroded by China's government.

Large groups of soldiers in camouflage carried automatic rifles, metal rods with spiked tips and fire extinguishers, while police buses, trucks and armoured personnel carriers blocked the streets.

Shops and restaurants remained open and people went about their daily business on the streets of Aba, but police were checking all vehicles moving in and out of the town, slowing traffic through the main street to a crawl.

AFP's reporters were unable to gain access to the Kirti monastery, but saw large groups of police stationed outside the sprawling complex, as red-robed monks walked around inside.

Campaign groups Free Tibet and the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) say there used to be more than 2,000 monks living in the monastery, but the number has now dwindled to fewer than 1,000.

They say that in recent months hundreds of monks have left the monastery, some of them taken away by authorities to undergo compulsory "patriotic re-education" programmes, and that the recent spate of self-immolations is a sign of the desperation they feel.

Many Tibetans in China are angry about what they see as growing domination by the country's majority Han ethnic group.

The latest government crackdown in the area was sparked by the death in March of Phuntsog, a young Kirti monk who set himself on fire on the third anniversary of anti-Chinese riots that shook Lhasa in March 2008, the bloodiest in Tibet in 20 years.

His death sparked mass protests in Aba and the surrounding area, known as Aba county.

Last month, China jailed three monks for between 10 and 13 years for helping Phuntsog to burn himself to death, sparking an international outcry.

Few, if any, foreign journalists have gained access to the town since then and AFP's reporters were briefly detained by police, who confiscated one camera and deleted photographs of police and the military presence.

"You can take pictures of all the scenery you want, but you cannot take pictures here," one policeman said. "You are free to leave. You must not stop until you have left (Aba) county."

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