The Ethnic Faces of China

China's Panchen Lama and Hong-Kong-based
Master Kuan Yun

My article The Ethnic Faces of China appeared in NitiCentral.

Here is the link...

The third session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC) opened with fanfare at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2015. Two days earlier, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) had started its deliberations.
The Two Meetings (or Two Sessions) have always been an occasion to see new faces and hear people who are not always in the news.
This is particularly the case for the ‘ethnic faces’.
Padma Choling, (alias Pema Thinley), Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress and only ‘ethnic’ Tibetan member of the CCP’s Central Committee, has recently been used by Beijing to create a flutter, widely reported in the world press; he declared: “it's not up to the Dalai Lama [to decide about his own reincarnation].”
The Tibetan official objected to the Dalai Lama’s announcement that ‘his traditional religious role should cease with his death’. Padma Choling affirmed that it was against “the Tibetan Buddhism tradition as the soul of a senior lama is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death. …[as] the move is expected to upset the reincarnation system that has been honored for hundreds of years in Tibet and destabilize the Buddhist region.”
The Central Committee member added that the process: “should follow strict historical conventions and required religious rituals of the Tibetan Buddhism …and be approved by the central government.”
For Beijing, it is for the Communist Party of China to ‘decide’ who will be the next Dalai Lama.
An atheist Party, which has unexpectedly become expert in ‘religious matters’, believes that the Dalai Lama’s claims to stop his lineage (more correctly, the institution of the Dalai Lamas) “is blasphemy against the Tibetan Buddhism.”
Poor Marx must have turned in his tomb, if he heard the uttering of his Tibetan follower? Does Padma Choling realize that when he speaks of ‘soul reincarnation’, it is a serious Marxist blasphemy?
Beijing has a few other ‘ethnic faces’, who are regularly seen (often in traditional costume) during the NPC/CPPCC deliberations.
This is also true for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), though no ‘ethnic’ officer has ever made to it to the powerful Central Military Commission or the Central Committee.
However, Beijing realizes that these 'faces' (Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongols, Huis, etc.) are very useful to support China’s pretense of 'regional autonomy'.
In March 2014, when 33 people were killed and 130 wounded when a group of attackers dressed in black went on the rampage in Kunming railway station, we heard the voice of Saimati Muhammat.
In an interview to Xinhua, Saimati affirmed that counter-terrorism in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had the strong backing from the PLA: “Xinjiang is at the front line struggle against 'The Three Forces’, namely terrorism, extremism and separatism,” said Saimati, a Uygur ethnic and member of the NPC.
Saimati Muhammat who is one of the first Uyghurs to be promoted as a Major General in the PLA, is presently Deputy Commandant of Lanzhou Military Command Area (MAC).
Tibet is also represented in the PLA delegation to the NPC.
Major General Ngawang (Ang Mong) Sonam, born in Jyekundo in today’s Qinghai province is today Deputy Commander of Qinghai Military District, also of Lanzhou MAC. A Chinese publication noted: “These [officers] bring pride to the rugged western China [Tibet and Xinjiang], they are absolutely honest and have defended the country's frontiers with their blood; they feel from their heart for the people,” adding: “Minority officers are dedicated to a strong army and China’s steadfast dream.”
In the religious field too, Beijing has its ‘ethnic faces’.
On March 5, China Tibet Online reported the visit of a ‘Buddhist’ delegation from Tibet to Bangladesh. Can you believe it?
Quoting the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh, the website said: “At the invitation of the Buddhism Association of Bangladesh, the China Tibetan Buddhism delegation, led by Rinpoche Dupkang Tupden Kedup, visited Bangladesh from February 21 to 25.”
Dupkang, though Chairman of the Tibet Branch of Buddhist Association, is an nameless religious figure outside Tibet.
But, he has now been awarded the ‘2015 Atisha Peace Gold Award’ by the Buddhism Association of Bangladesh (BAB). The fact that Dupkang is not a monk anymore does not seem to have bothered the BAB.
His visit to Bangladesh however raises very serious questions for Delhi (and Dharamsala).
Why has the Dalai Lama been unable to visit Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand (he went once in the 1970s) or Sri Lanka? Most of these countries (apart from Bangladesh) have a large Buddhist population. Why should a Communist rinpoche like Dupkang, non-existant in the Buddhist hierarchy, be ‘honoured’ with the ‘Atisha Award’, when the Tibetan leader has never been able to visited Bangladesh?
In Tibet, Beijing is fully using Gyaltsen Norbu, China’s Panchen Lama for political purpose. On March 4, Xinhua reported the young Lama (25) spoke about "Cultivating talent, making Tibetan Buddhism better adapted to a socialist society."
Gyaltsen Norbu is today the main ethnic face of Buddhism in China. There is no doubt that in the years to come, Beijing will continue to fully play the ‘Panchen Lama card’ and he will probably be seen around South Asian capitals as the representative of the Buddha.
Madam Cui Yuying is one of the few ‘ethnic’ Tibetans who today serves in a high position in the Central government in Beijing, thereby helping China in its ‘ethnic equality’ propaganda.
After occupying different junior posts in Tibet, she has become Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, an important post.
But often the ethic faces are more Chinese than the Hans.
Last year, Madam Cui opened the infamous ‘2014 Forum on the Development of Tibet, China’, organized in Lhasa and attended by a few foreign fans of the Communist Party, who had no choice, but to agree to the terms dictated by the Party in Beijing. One can’t bite the hand which feeds you!
Cui Yuying, while inaugurating the ‘Forum’, used the old Communist argument that Beijing only wants modernity for Tibet. The same argument was used in the 1950s, when Mao and his colleagues pretended that the Dalai Lama did not want ‘reforms’ and therefore Tibet needed to be ‘liberated’.
Like for the PLA ‘ethnic’ officers and religious figures, the presence of ‘ethnic’ Party cadres in the government in Beijing does not help much to find a solution to the Tibetan issue, on the contrary!
It is sad, especially at a time when photos and videos have appeared in the social media networks, showing heavy security presence at the annual Monlam Prayer Festival at Kumbum monastery, in Qinghai province; the 500-old Festival is traditionally dedicated to social harmony and world peace.
Voice of America reported: “The heavy security presence with armored vehicles and troops with automatic weapons doing drills and marching through one of the major Tibetan monasteries appears to have deeply hurt the feelings of the Tibetan people in the area.”
Unfortunately, the few ‘ethnic faces’ can’t do anything about the hardening of the situation on the ground in the minorities’ areas. It is tragic.

The ‘Ethnic’ Religious Faces of China

Dupkang Rinpoche received the 'Atisha' Award

In continuation with my posts on the ‘ethnic faces’ in the PLA and the Communist Party, I will today deal with the ‘ethnic religious faces’ who help Beijing in its endeavor to progressively takeover the leadership of the Buddhist World (in Asia at least).
On March 5, China Tibet Online reported the visit of a ‘Buddhist’ delegation from Tibet to Bangladesh. Can you believe it?
Quoting the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh, the website said: “At the invitation of the Buddhism Association of Bangladesh, the China Tibetan Buddhism delegation, led by Rinpoche Dupkang Tupden Kedup, visited Bangladesh from February 21 to 25.”
I have often mentioned this ‘political’ rinpoche on this blog (particularly the rinpoche's visit in Kalmikya Republic of Russia).
Dupkang, who is close to the Communist Party, is vice chairman of the CPPCC Tibet Committee and Chairman of the Tibet Branch of Buddhist Association.
It appears that he has been awarded the ‘2015 Atisha Peace Gold Award’ by the Buddhism Association of Bangladesh (BAB).
The fact that Dupkang is not a monk does not seem to have bothered the BAB.

Dupkang Rinpoche in Bikrampur

Atisha Dipamkara Srijana was a Buddhist teacher from Bengal, who lived during the 11th century (at the time of the Pala Empire). He was one of the major saintly figures who spread Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism in Asia and particularly in Tibet; he is still revered as one of the great religious gurus in Tibet and India (and apparently in Bangladesh).
The Dupkang delegation from Tibet is said to have exchanged views with local Bangladeshi Buddhists and visited the Atisha Memorial Hall and the Buddhist ruins in . A reception was hosted for the Tibetans by Ma Mingqiang, the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh.
China Tibet online says that Buddhism is the third largest religion in Bangladesh with about 0.7 percent of the population (they mainly live in the Chittagong hills); they followed the Theravada tradition.
This visit raises a very serious question and the Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala should ponder upon it.
Why has the Dalai Lama been unable to visit Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand (he went once in the 1970s, I think) or Sri Lanka? Most of these countries (apart from Bangladesh) have a large Buddhist population? Why should a Communist rinpoche like to Dupkang, relatively junior in the Buddhist hierarchy, be ‘honoured’ with the ‘Atisha Award’, when the Dalai Lama has never been able to visited Bangladesh.
One should not also forget that that the Tibetan Army (SSF) actively participated to the Liberation War in 1971; and this, at the cost of many Tibetan jawans’ and officers’ lives.
Why the Dalai Lama is not welcome in all these countries?
It is often due the Chinese political pressure, but also inter-school rivalry (the Drukpa Kargyu tradition in Bhutan, for example) or the great Mahayana/Theravada divide.
But are the differences so insurmountable?
An intra-Buddhist dialogue seems the need of the hour.
The time has perhaps come for Dharamsala (the Central Tibetan Administration or the Office of the Dalai Lama) to create a South Asian Bureau for Buddhists Affairs. A respected Buddhist figure (Tibetan or India) could visit the South Asian countries (including Baltistan in Pakistan) and start establishing contacts with local Buddhists.
This could eventually pave the way to a visit by the Dalai Lama. It is something that the Modi Sarkar should strongly support, (the Prime Minister could start discretely mentioning this during his forthcoming visit to Sri Lanka).

Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese-selected Panchen Lama

In the meantime in Tibet, Beijing is fully using Gyaltsen Norbu, China’s Panchen Lama for its political purpose.
On March 4, Xinhua reported: “As the youngest member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, the Panchen Lama, donning a red cloak, joined in discussions among religious members of the Third Session of the 12th CPPCC National Committee.”
The young Lama (25) spoke about "Cultivating talent, making Tibetan Buddhism better adapted to a socialist society."
He quoted Yu Zhengsheng, the CPPCC chairman, saying: “China supports the religious members to continue to play a unique role in carrying out targeted work in Tibet and Xinjiang and actively guide religions to adapt themselves to the socialist system."
Gyaltsen Norbu, who is the main ethnic face of Buddhism in today’s China, commented: "[Yu’s] remarks on religious work delivered clear expectations. In my opinion, Tibetan Buddhism can play an important role in national economic and social development, social harmony and maintaining stability."
There is no doubt that Beijing will continue to fully play the ‘Panchen Lama card’ in the years to come. For the purpose, in March, 2013, Norbu had been elevated to the ‘important’ (but ceremonial) post of member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee.
On the side of the CPPCC meet, Gyaltsen Norbu explained that he daily devotes most of his time and attention “to cultivating a religious spirit in the Tibetan people. There's an urgent need to cultivate talent, which is important for Tibetan Buddhism in the present and future."
He added: “I hope to see a batch of Tibetan Buddhist talents who will unswervingly follow the path to a socialist society with Chinese characteristics." The last sentence is pure political propaganda, but has the young Lama the choice to speak differently?
Like the other ‘ethnic’ faces, probably not!

Religious ceremony at Kumbum Monastery

In the meantime, photos and videos have appeared on the social media showing heavy security presence at the annual Monlam Prayer Festival at Kumbum monastery, in Qinghai province.
Voice of America reported: “The heavy security presence with armored vehicles and troops with automatic weapons doing drills and marching through one of the major Tibetan monasteries appears to have deeply hurt the feelings of the Tibetan people in the area. In rare acts of expression on the heavily policed Chinese social media sites, one person asks, ‘Are we supposed to watch the army or watch the prayer festival’, while another laments, ‘I was so afraid that I forgot to pray’, and one person puts the armed intimidation of prayer goers in the context of China’s repeated calls for social stability by posting, ‘With this many soldiers at a prayer festival, are you working for harmony or war?’”
The 500 year old Monlam Prayer Festival is traditionally dedicated to teachers of all religious traditions, social harmony, and world peace.
In Beijing, the Chinese leaders speak of a ‘New Normal’ for China.
Is the military presence in Kumbum another ‘New Normal’?

China lacks 'Buddhist' credibility

Dupkang 'Rinpoche' in Kalmikya Republic (3rd from left)
5th from left is the prime minister

The Chinese Communist Party every day becomes more interested in 'spiritual' matters. 
It regularly sponsors 'Buddhist' events and lectures by 'rinpoches' to convince the Tibetan masses that Beijing genuinely respects their faith.
Unfortunately (for Beijing), the Party is also aware that the Dalai Lama has still a considerable  (and genuine) following in Tibet and abroad.
This explains Beijing's nervousness as demonstrated by the interview in a Hong Kong weekly, of Prof. Jin Wei of the Central Communist Party School; she advocated a softer line towards the Dalai Lama in order to 'convince' him that he should reincarnate in China.
The problem seems that Tibet is today very short of genuine 'rinpoches' or spiritual teachers. If the 15th Dalai Lama one day takes birth abroad, it might be difficult for the Party to play a convincing role on the Tibetan plateau.
Look at the report published in China Tibet Online about a Seminar on the Tibetan Buddhism Doctrine Elaboration held recently in Lhasa at the Tibet Buddhist Academy (it should more rightly be called the Central Communist Party Buddhist School).
The main speaker was the 16-year old 7th Reting Rinpoche who can't be taken seriously from the fact that he has been a 'political' choice (through the (in)famous Golden Urn) of his mentor, another 'rinpoche', Dupkang Tupden Kedup, the Chancellor of the Tibet Buddhist Academy and Head of the Tibet branch of the China Buddhist Association.
Incidentally, both 'rinpoches' are native of Nagchu, once the main center of power in the Tibetan Autonomous Region; this was especially true when Raidi (known as the head of the Nagchu clique) was Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress (1993-2003).
Apparently, the Tibet Tibetology Research Centre has collected for the Seminar, 73 articles on topics such as "Patriotism vs Piety", "To be Buddhist monks and nuns of the new era", "How to cherish life", etc. Rather political issues!Beijing's rinpoches (selected and groomed by the Party) lack today credibility.
Ironically, Wang Pijun, president of the China Tibet Online recently gave a speech on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition, "Beauty of Tibet" in Australia.
The Party cadre stated that Chinese masses, including Tibetans (sic) would agree to the Dalai Lama's return to China at some conditions; one of them is: "The Chinese generally hold that eminent monks are respected for their credibility. However, the 14th Dalai Lama left China in 1959 on his own decision, so his capricious nature makes people believe that he is either incredible or ill-intentioned."
Wang Pijun probably means 'non-credible' and not 'incredible'; Wang however should be advised to look at the historical records of the 'incredible' scenes in 1979/80 when the 3 first facts-finding delegations visited Tibet: the entire population in valleys, hamlets, villages and towns turned out to have the Darshan of the Dalai Lama's representatives.
Has it changed 34 years later? 

Young Rinpoche stresses environmental protection in Buddhist doctrines
June 8, 2013
China Tibet Online
Can Cai
The first Tibetan Buddhism Doctrine Elaboration Seminar was held in Lhasa from June, 6th to June, 7th at the Tibet Buddhist Academy. During the session, the 7th Reting Rinpoche, by referring to the doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism, elaborated the reasons of the frequently-occurred natural disasters, i.e. earthquake, fire, landslide that took place in the early years of the century.
His environment-themed dissertation entitled the light of Bodhi had been honored with excellence.
The 7th Reting Rinpoche pointed put that it is the human being's desire that leads to disharmony between people and people, humans and animals and mankind and nature. These, in turn, lead to occurrence of various disasters. "Benevolence is the seed of ecological harmony. On the other hand, malicious deeds of destroying ecology cause frequentation of disasters."
The 7th Reting Rinpoche, whose birth name was Sonam Puncog, was born in 1997 in a herdsman's family in Jiali County, Nagqu Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region. He was chosen as the reincarnated soul boy after the 6th Retting Rinpoche passed away. He was tonsured and enthroned on 16th of January and 14th of July, 2000 respectively.
Dupkang Tupden Kedup, Chancellor of the Tibet Buddhist Academy, said the seminar offers an opportunity to clarify Tibetan Buddhist doctrines, collect wisdom, accumulate experience and to make headways in the cause of Tibetan Buddhism.
Dawa Tsering，the chairman of the Buddhist Association of Lhoka Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region, said, "Buddhism is aimed to bring about happiness to mankind by eradicating root causes of suffering and by devoutly practicing Buddhist doctrines. Tibetan Buddhism, since introduced to Tibet, has been standing out among a world of religions with its creativity, correctness and comprehensiveness. With the development of time, Tibetan Buddhism plays a key role in the nation's development."
During the two days, learned scholars and eminent monks carried out the discussions on the topic of commandment explanation. They hold the opinion that to make Buddhism better understood by Buddhist followers, it is a must to hold fast to the essence and resist infiltrations of what is decadent and backward. It is advised to find a point where Tibetan Buddhism and the Chinese culture can perfectly blend. And it is paramount to advocate benevolence and promote the preservation and inheritance of Tibetan Buddhism.
On the afternoon of June, 7th, a number of eminent monks wearing white khadas (a piece of silk representing auspiciousness) on their necks, walked out of the auditorium and took commemorative photos in the modernly designed garden-style campus. Among them, the first batch of over 150 students will graduate in July, 2013 from the college where they have been living for three years and return to the monasteries where they come from.
Established in 2009, the Tibet Budhhist Academy is located 27 kilometers away from Lhasa and covers an area of 262.48 mus (about 15 hectares). It has three departments, namely Esoteric Buddhism, Exoteric Buddhism and Rinpoche and offers three categories of courses, including laws, public courses and Buddhism studies.