skylark

According to Tricycle, “The People’s Republic [of China] recently issued a proclamation banning tulkus from reincarnating without government permission.”

“The reincarnation of living Buddhas must undergo application and approval procedures,” the new regulations stipulate. “Living Buddha” reincarnations with a “particularly great impact,” such as presumably of the next Dalai Lama, “shall be reported to the State Council for approval.”

comment:

antagonism between religious and secular authority is normally pretty unbalanced. whereas religious authority has often sought substantial influence over just about every level and aspect of secular affairs, secular authority has, for the most part, limited its own interest in religion to the question of whether, and to what degree, it could exist or operate at all. the particulars of doctrine, or the mechanisms of metaphysical events, are generally of little consequence to the state, unless that state is religiously constituted. apparently, the PRC has decided to be a bit more proactive.