Is China Changing? Religious practices in Tibet

My article Is China Changing? Religious practices in Tibet has been published by the Asia Research Institute of the University of Nottingham


Here is the link...

In October 1950, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) entered Eastern Tibet with the objective of ‘liberating’ the region. The Tibetans, who for centuries had lived in beatific seclusion, could not really understand from what they needed to be ‘liberated’; a large percentage of the population lived as Buddhist monks and nuns in thousands of monasteries, seeking the Great Liberation. It soon turned out that the Communist ‘liberation’ was very different from the one advocated by Gautama Buddha in the plains of North India some 2500 years earlier. Mao and his colleagues wanted to ‘reform’ a so-called feudal society.
When the Communist leadership tried to force their ‘reforms’ on the Khampas, the inhabitants of Eastern Tibet, the latter immediately revolted. It resulted in tens of thousands of them being killed. Monasteries were bombed, ‘rebels’ machine-gunned: religion was a ‘poison’, as per Mao’s words, it had to be eradicated. One question is often asked, has China changed over the last 60 years or has it remained the same? China is indeed today a different nation; it has laws, rules and regulations, even for religious practices.

A new set of regulations
In November 2017, the Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs published a set of updated regulations dealing with religious issues (they have come into force in February 2018). Some of the directives are aimed at monitoring the over-commercialization of Buddhism and Taoism. The South China Morning Post said that China had decided to ban commercialization of Buddhist and Taoist activities to tighten its grip on religion: “local cadres have been specifically barred from promoting and profiting from religious activities in the name of fostering economic development. Temples in scenic spots cannot overcharge tourists for entry, while they are banned from building any new large outdoor religious statues.” The stated objective of these regulations was to ‘protect citizens’ freedom of religious belief’.
But some religious leaders in China, such as Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Church in Sichuan saw a deeper scheme: “the government has no authority to direct or examine religious groups and religious activities in their doctrinal teaching and governing or to limit citizens religious activity to the time and location it decides,” he stated. Indeed, under the revised Regulations, religious affairs are controlled in minutest details by the State (read the Communist Party).

How does this translate in Tibet?
 In the recent months and years, there has been in a tightening of State control over religious institutions. Further, most of the monasteries have now become tourist attractions under the control of local administration. Monks are mostly in place as a showcase for the millions of Han tourists visiting the Roof of the World (26 million in 2017). Another dichotomy is reflected in the case of the Serthar Buddhist Institute in Larung Gar in Sichuan’s Kardzi prefecture. The Institute was founded by a charismatic Lama, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok in 1980 to help revive Buddhist scholarship and meditation. In the early 2000s, it housed the largest concentration of monks and nuns in Tibetan areas …including nearly 1,000 Han Chinese students. In 2016, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that Beijing had decided to destroy large sections of a monastery: “Massive cuts are being planned for the number of monks and nuns allowed to live at a large Buddhist study centre.”
It had perhaps become too dangerous for the Communist Party that the monastery enjoyed a great popularity among Chinese; between 20,000 and 30,000 monks and nuns, (a large proportion from the mainland) had joined the institute over the years. The Diplomat described the situation: “In June 2016, the Chinese government in Beijing issued an order that stated the site had become overcrowded and its population had to be reduced to a maximum of 5,000 by October 2017. Within weeks, work teams descended on the peaceful community and began tearing down people’s homes, reducing cabins to nothing more than splintered wood and shattered glass. The owners were forced to sign documents agreeing not to return to the area again and to ‘uphold the unity of the nation’.”
China seems stuck between the ‘normality’, i.e. the rule of law on one side and the imposition of the Party’s diktats, on the other. Already in 2001, a similar process had occurred; The South China Morning Post then wrote: “Tibetan support groups and Chinese residents of a nearby town said the dismantling of homes at Serthar had started in June [2001] and many of the residents — once estimated at 6,000 to 7,000 — had been forced to leave.” But as a sphinx, Sethar had emerged again.

Examinations in Beijing
A sign that all is not well in the field of religion in the Middle Kingdom is the fact that China does not hold the examination for the highest degree in Buddhist philosophy, the Geshe Larampa, in Tibet itself. On May 19, You Quan, minister of the United Front Work Department, a high functionary in the Party, distributed the certificates to the new graduates. During the function, You Quan emphasized that the Tibetan Buddhist community, the Sangha, “should thoroughly study and understand the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, unswervingly adhere to correct political positions; firmly uphold national unity; positively adapt to developing trends of the current times; vigorously promote interpretations of Buddhist doctrines and make new contributions to the future inheritance and development of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.”
The function took in the premises of the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College …in Beijing. For hundreds of years, the examinations were held in the Great Monasteries of Ganden, Drepung and Sera in the outskirts of Lhasa, why should they take now place in the Chinese capital? Simply because Beijing is nervous about the rise of religion in Tibet …and the Middle Kingdom. Another sign that religious freedom is not blooming, political training is regularly held for religious leaders. The Global Times mentioned, “Extensive training for religious priests is being launched at the local and central levels on core socialist values, patriotism and religious signification.” According to the tabloid, training is being organized by the Central Institute of Socialism, the Party Schools for non-Party members. The Global Times admitted: “The sinification of religions was highlighted in China’s newly revised regulation on religious affairs, which took effect in February.” The Institute has been holding this type of course for all major ‘Chinese’ religions including Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam.
In the meantime, in Tibet, the Chinese authorities are closely monitoring the religious observances during the holy month of Saga Dawa, forbidding government workers and students from participating in traditional gatherings. Radio Free Asia reported: “The Chinese authorities in Lhasa are ordering Tibetan government employees, schoolchildren, and their parents to avoid group religious activities during the holy month.… Even government retirees are being targeted by this ban on religious worship,” RFA’s source said. China may have greatly changed in the recent decades, but the freedom to practice one’s own religion still exist on paper only.

Restricted religious freedom in China

My article Restricted religious freedom in China appeared in the Edit Page of The Pioneer.

Here is the link...

Beijing wants to show its critics that it is a ‘normal' secular nation but it fears faiths that are often more popular than the Communist creed, as the ban on fasting during Ramzan stands proof

Beijing insists that there is no religious discrimination in China, particularly against the Muslim populations (Uyghurs) of Xinjiang. Religious freedom has reached an ‘unparalleled’ level; it is at least what a document published by the State Council Information Office in Beijing on religious freedom in Xinjiang says. The publication coincides with the sensitive month of Ramzan.
The White Paper asserts that today, freedom of religious belief in Xinjiang “cannot be matched by that in any other historical period, and is undeniable to anyone who respects the facts.”
The White Paper even asserts that restaurants in Xinjiang are free to stay open or close during Ramzan. At a public meeting, Zhang Chunxian, the Communist Party’s boss, wished all Muslims a happy Ramzan: “Ramzan is about peace and self-reflection, as well as dedication and self-discipline,”
he remarked.
This sounds good, but it is official rhetoric only: A ban on fasting has been declared on several categories of people. AFP mentioned a notice posted on the Government website which says: “Party members, cadres, civil servants, students and minors must not fast for Ramzan and must not take part in religious activities,” adding: “During the month of Ramzan, food and drink businesses must not close.”
This shows the dichotomy in which the Chinese Government has put itself. Beijing wants to show its critics that it is a ‘normal’ secular nation, but at the same time, it fears faiths often more popular than the Communist creed.
In the recent years, each time that the region witnessed several clashes between the local Uyghur minority and the security forces, Beijing blamed some ‘militants’ seeking independence from China. It is not so simple because discrimination exists. Take the example of people living in border prefectures in Xinjiang, they must now give DNA samples while applying for travel documents, even within China.
The newspaper Yili Daily announced that residents of the Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture who wanted to apply for any type of immigration documents had to go to the police station near their ‘registered’ homes and provide DNA samples, fingerprints, voiceprints and a three-dimensional photo: “Applicants who failed to provide all the biological identification/information would have their applications refused,” says the newspaper.
The prefecture of Yili, bordering Kazakhstan, has an ethnically diverse population of 2.5 million people; while 64.7 per cent belongs to ethnic minorities, the rest are Han Chinese.
The number of applications for travel documents in Yili had ‘skyrocketed’ in the past year, from 20,000 in 2014 to 1,00,000 in 2015. Why did more than 2,00,000 apply for travel documents this year? The answer is simple: Discrimination in Xinjiang. Will the lives of the migrants be better elsewhere in China? Doubtful!
For the foreign-based Uyghur rights groups, restrictions based on religion or discrimination have added to ethnic tensions in the region. Buddhist areas suffer from ‘restrictions’ too.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoting a Tibetan source reported that Beijing has decided to destroy large sections of a monastery in Eastern Tibet: “Massive cuts are being planned for the number of monks and nuns allowed to live at a large Buddhist study center.” The Larung Gar Buddhist Academy is located in Serthar county of Kardze (or Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Sichuan Province).
The monastery probably enjoys a dangerously great popularity from Chinese people: Between 20,000 and 30,000 monks and nuns, (a large proportion from the mainland) have joined the institute over the years. By September 30, 2017, the institute’s population will be capped at 5,000.
In September 2014, an article on China Tibet Online, a subsidiary of Xinhua, praised Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy saying out that Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, the founder was “a teacher of His Holiness (sic) the Thirteenth Dalai Lama” (the article forgets to mention that the same Khenpo Phuntsok visited Dharamsala and shared teachings with the present Dalai Lama).
The Chinese website explained that Jigme Phuntsok established the Larung Gar Academy in 1980, with the aim to revitalise the Dharma: “The reason behind the selection of Serthar as the building place is primarily because it is a historically sacred place in Vajrayana. Monks go to achieve ‘rainbow body’ (a high level of spiritual achievement)… Thirteen disciples attained a rainbow body at the place.”
Amazing Communist China, speaking of ‘rainbow bodies’ (advancedlamas who can dissolve their bodies in a rainbow at the time of death)! The institute is today one of the world’s largest and most important centers for the study of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet …and in China. Following the demolition in 2001 of more than 1,000 dwellings at Larung Gar and the expulsion of hundreds of monks and nuns, the monastery, such a phoenix reappeared; today the Chinese authorities have decided to reduce its size again.
According to RFA: “This year, the authorities are talking about 1,200 members who will have to leave,” adding that, “Government officials are now marking houses that block the passage of firefighting vehicles or the construction of roads, and dwellings targeted for demolition will be torn down by force if necessary. About 60 to 70 percent of the houses of monks and nuns are being marked for demolition.”
China’s dilemma between ‘normality’ and imposition of the Party’s diktats is best shown in a declaration of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) . Its inspectors recently criticised the Propaganda Department because “it has failed to take tough or effective action to promote ideology, control the media and the internet, and oversee universities and colleges.”
In February, the CCDI inspectors had launched a two-month review of the Department. As a result, “Dozens of rights lawyers, activists and petitioners have also been detained over the past year and the government has warned universities against using textbooks that promote Western values” says The South China Morning Post.
Despite the fact that Beijing is trying to put up a brave ‘normal’ face in the world media, religious and political intolerance has grown tremendously under Xi Jinping. In every field, the Government has stepped up to control the media, the Internet and even what is taught in the universities. In these circumstances, one understands that Islam in Xinjiang or Buddhism in Tibet are both seen as subversive ‘splittist’ ideologies.
The sad part is that some foreign companies are also sanctioning Beijing’s policies; the latest example is the cosmetic brand Lancôme, a subsidiary of L’Oréal of France, which cancelled a concert by Canto-pop star Denise Ho in Hong Kong. The crime of the young lady was to have dared to meet the Dalai Lama. ‘No good’, said Beijing, ‘You will not be allowed to sing in Hong Kong’; and Lancôme complied. The ironic part of the story is that Beijing is trying to take the lead of the Buddhist world, investing billions of yuans in ‘soft’ diplomacy. How can China be taken seriously on this?

Religion: a Poison no more?

The 'rush' to Tibetan monasteries

In August, I wrote on this blog: "Communist China is fast becoming expert in Tibetan Buddhism. Unfortunately, though Beijing shows a great interest in the Tibetan Tradition, it is not enamoured with the Dalai Lama as yet."
Last week, Chen Quanguo, Tibet's Party Secretary told the Standing Committee of the regional Party: "One should not believe in the 14th Dalai group’s fantasies (illusions), or follow the Dalai group; one should beware infiltration and sabotage activities in which are involved separatist party cadres."
While warning the cadres not be trapped in the 'Dalai Lama's fantasies', the Party is promoting Buddhist on a large scale in Eastern Tibet (Kham).
An article on China Tibet Online praises "Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy in Sichuan" pointing out that Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, founder of Larung Gar was a teacher of His Holiness [sic] the Thirteenth Dalai Lama (of course, they won't say that the same Khenpo Phuntsok once visited Dharamsala to share teachings with the present Dalai Lama).
I am reproducing the article; it is worth reading:

Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, the incarnation of the great terton Terchen Lerab Lingpa, and also a teacher of His Holiness the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, established the Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy in Larung Valley near Serthar, Sichuan Province, southwest China, in 1980, with the aim to revitalize Dharma and benefit all sentient beings.
The reason behind the selection of Serthar as the building place is primarily based upon the fact that it is a historically sacred place in Vajrayana. Monks go to achieve 'rainbow body' (a high level of spiritual achievement), and comprehend the 'four karmas' at the academy. Thirteen disciples attained 'rainbow body' at the place where His Holiness the First Dudjom Rinpoche had originally stayed.
According to the First Dodrupchen Rinpoche, two hundred years ago a great siddha wrote in his Future Prophecy that the Larung Valley, protected by the Goddess of Mutian and surrounded by the sacred Mt. Danjian and Mt. Ala, is a blessed site.
The aim of the academy can be summarized by four distinct pursuits: "to unite Buddhists in harmony; to uphold pure precepts; to study, reflect upon, and practice the sacred Dharma; and to propagate the Dharma and benefit all beings".
In May of 1987, the Tenth Panchen Lama approved the founding of the academy by presenting them with a plaque on which he wrote, in Tibetan: "Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy", he also respectfully addressed His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok as "Sage Choeje".
At the same time, Mr. Puchu Zhao, the Chairman of the Buddhist Association of China, wrote the name of the academy in Chinese. Therefore, an era of revitalization of Tibetan Buddhism had begun.
According to the introduction of its website, the curriculum at Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy includes three parts: Sutrayana, Secret Mantrayana, and common culture. The main courses in Sutrayana involve five major categories of treatise: Vinaya, Hetuvidya, Abhidharmakosa-Sastra, Madhyamika, and Prajnaparamita. Secret Mantrayana consists of esoteric shastra, various preliminaries, generation phase, completion phase, the Great Perfection, and pith instruction. Common culture pertains to the science of language, the science of medicine, Tibetan language, etc.
In 1999, the Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy was identified by The New York Times as one of the largest and most influential centers for study of Tibetan Buddhism in the world.
During more than 30 years, the academy has cultivated hundreds of eminent Buddhist scholars and practitioners, who in turn have founded numerous Dharma centers around the world. They have also made tremendous contributions to Tibetan Buddhism by teaching the sacred Dharma, revitalizing the traditional Tibetan culture, and improving ethnic unity.
Currently, there are over ten thousand resident monastics, both Tibetan and Han, in the academy. In addition, thousands of members around the world are engaged in Dharma study via online courses taught by the institute's senior Khenpo, Sodargye Rinpoche.

While denying the existence of the Dalai Lama as one of the foremost proponent of Buddhism, Beijing has clearly become 'expert' in the Buddha Dharma.
By the way, did you know that Confucius ruled as a 'divine king' in Tibet?
It is what the China Daily says: "Thanks to cultural exchanges between ethnic Hans and Tibetans, Confucius became a master in Tibetan culture over time."
The Communist newspapers explains: "In the beginning, Confucius’ name could only be found in Tibetan literature that was translated from Chinese. Gradually, Confucius became known as a figure with 'divine power' in Tibet and took on the identity 'Kongtse Trulgyi Gyalpo', founder of literature on calendrical calculation and rituals to ward off evil spirits in the Bon religion, Tibet’s traditional religion."
Confucius was a Bon master.
The article seriously adds: "In order to promote the Bon religion, Confucius traveled to many places far away from home, and learned from masters until he finally built a monastery of the Bon religion. However, he wasn’t able to protect the monastery on his own, so he invited Shenrab Miwoche to help out and later regarded Miwoche as his master. Around the time Tibetan Buddhism replaced the Bon religion and took on a predominant role in Tibet, Confucius was considered as one of the four leading masters of the Bon with divine power."
Great, by why did Mao say that 'Religion is Poison'?
Here are some pictures of Larung Gar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 'spiritual' revival in China or another gimmick?

Serthar Buddhist Institute

The times are changing.
An excellent Reuters article (posted below) tells us that "Xi Jinping hopes traditional faiths can fill moral void in China".
It has not always been the case; after periods of 'revival', Buddhist monks and nuns have often been persecuted, particularly in Tibet.
Remember 2001 in Eastern Tibet.
At that time, reports poured that Beijing has decided to expel thousands Tibetan nuns and monks from the Serthar Buddhist Institute in Larung Gar in Kardzi prefecture of Sichuan Province (former Kham). The State wanted to tighten its grip on this religious centre. The presence of many Chinese Buddhists was becoming 'subversive' for the Chinese State.
The South China Morning Post then wrote: "Tibetan support groups and Chinese residents of a nearby town said the dismantling of homes at Serthar had started in June [2001] and many of the residents — once estimated at 6,000 to 7,000 — had been forced to leave."
The London-based Tibetan Information Network then affirmed, "the moves had been made on order from Beijing. The objective was to reduce the size of the community to about 1,000 monks and 400 nuns by October [2001]".

Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok

The Serthar Institute was founded by a charismatic Lama, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok in 1980 to help revive Buddhist scholarship and meditation. In the early 2000s, it housed the largest concentration of monks and nuns in Tibetan areas ...including nearly 1,000 Han Chinese students.
The Chinese students were posing a problem to Beijing.
Asked about the demolitions, an official told the Hong Kong paper that he could not discuss the events with outsiders, but journalist were told by residents that "many houses had been dismantled and most of the nuns, estimated at about 3,000 at one point, had been forced to leave; the nuns left first. Then some of the monks."
Roads to the settlement were sealed off when officials and People's Armed Police moved in for the 'clearing operations'. Sources said that previous attempts by the authorities to reduce the numbers of monks and nuns had been impossible to enforce. Reports of deaths also circulated.
At that time, The South China Morning Post said that the whereabouts of founder Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok were unclear. Due to his poor health, but he was probably confined to his residence.
The Tibetan Information Network, quoting an unnamed Western Buddhist scholar explained that "Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok was recognised in his teens as the Reincarnation of Lerab Lingpa (1856-1926), a Nyingma teacher of the 13th Dalai Lama. He was singled out as a 'class enemy' during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, although he survived by living in remote and isolated areas".

Demolition in 2001

In 2002, a serious row erupted again over reconstruction of the Serthar Institute. 
The Tibetan Centre For Human Rights And Democracy (TCHRD) based in Dharamsala affirmed having received some reports about "a scuffle between nuns of Serthar Buddhist Institute and PSB officers (Public Security Bureau) from Karze TAP (Tibet Autonomous Prefecture) on 25 December 2002. The PSB officers attempted to destroy ongoing reconstruction works at the demolished site of the institute. One police suffered head injury when a stone hit him."
According to TCHRD, additional police force converged to Larung Gar the next day and continue the demolition task. Over 200 monks and nuns assembled to halt the work resulting in yet another affray between the two parties. In the midst of it all, the police reportedly shot gunfire. 
At the time of the incident, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok was undergoing medical treatment in a hospital in Barkham County in Sichuan Province. 
The Khenpo passed away in 2004.
In the very recent years, the Institute has been rebuilt. Some 40,000 monks and nuns are said to live and study today in Larung Gar. 
This article of Reuters (seen with the recent photos of Larung Gar which circulated on the Internet) makes interesting reading.
The Party has probably selected one or two locations (outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region) where religious will be allowed to 'flourish', though the experience will be carefully monitored.
Can it solve the problem of corruption and the mad race 'to get rich is glorious', started by Deng Xiaoping in 1978 is a serious unanswered question.

Serthar Buddhist Institute today

Can it fill up the 'vacuum created by the country's breakneck growth and rush to get rich', is not certain at all.
But there is always the possibility of demolishing  Sethar Institute or similar experiences once again. 
Another question is: has Xi Jinping, (if Reuters report is correct), the support of his colleagues of the Politburo for blowing 'faith' into the old Marxist faith?
One billion yuan question!


Xi Jinping hopes traditional faiths can fill moral void in China: sources
Reuters
Benjamin Kang Lim and Ben Blanchard
BEIJING (Reuters) - 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.
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.

In Winter

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."

Beautiful surroundings

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.
(Editing by Dean Yates)