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Link to original article (with pictures): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20227400/site/newsweek/

China regulates Buddhist reincarnation
By Matthew Philips
Newsweek

Aug. 20-27, 2007 issue - In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation." But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country. By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.

At 72, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since 1959, is beginning to plan his succession, saying that he refuses to be reborn in Tibet so long as it's under Chinese control. Assuming he's able to master the feat of controlling his rebirth, as Dalai Lamas supposedly have for the last 600 years, the situation is shaping up in which there could be two Dalai Lamas: one picked by the Chinese government, the other by Buddhist monks. "It will be a very hot issue," says Paul Harrison, a Buddhism scholar at Stanford. "The Dalai Lama has been the prime symbol of unity and national identity in Tibet, and so it's quite likely the battle for his incarnation will be a lot more important than the others."

So where in the world will the next Dalai Lama be born? Harrison and other Buddhism scholars agree that it will likely be from within the 130,000 Tibetan exiles spread throughout India, Europe and North America. With an estimated 8,000 Tibetans living in the United States, could the next Dalai Lama be American-born? "You'll have to ask him," says Harrison. If so, he'll likely be welcomed into a culture that has increasingly embraced reincarnation over the years. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 20 percent of all U.S. adults believe in reincarnation. Recent surveys by the Barna Group, a Christian research nonprofit, have found that a quarter of U.S. Christians, including 10 percent of all born-again Christians, embrace it as their favored end-of-life view. A non-Tibetan Dalai Lama, experts say, is probably out of the question.

© 2007 Newsweek, Inc.

I heard about this from one of my podcasts. Instead of my usual expositions on a topic, I can really sum up my reaction with a simple emoticon:

rofl

I think the bigger picture here than their obviously bogus public reasoning is the fact that they're using a sacred and holy event in Buddhist faith (the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama) and twisting it to gain full totalitarian control over an entire race of people.

It sickens me! sad

I did a bit more research about this topic. It seems, even though the law that Tibetan Buddhists have to apply to reincarnate took effect on the first of this month, China stepping in to choose the current incarnations of high-ranked Buddhists is not a new thing.

The newest Panchen Lama, whose duty it is to find the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama, was chosen by China in 1995 by a random lottery. In the mean time, a committee in Tibet communicated in secret with the Dalai Lama and was able to find the true Panchen Lama. As soon as his identity was made public, the true Panchen Lama, and his family, were taken into "protective custody" by the Chinese Government, and haven't been heard from since. And this, when he was just 6 years old. The Chinese-chosen Panchen Lama continues to serve his duties in Tibet and regularly praises the Chinese Government.

So with the chooser of the next Dalai Lama missing, the current Dalai Lama will likely have to make changes to how his future incarnations are chosen. To further complicate the matter, the relatively recent draft constitution of Tibet states that the identity of Dalai Lama can be revoked by a two-thirds vote of the Tibetan State Assembly.

Its already been mentioned that the Dalai Lama said he'd never be born in a place under Chinese occupation, but he has also suggested that his current incarnation may be the last. He mentioned that he has felt that his purpose had been served.

Personally, I can see how he'd come to this conclusion, as governments are becoming less about individual leaders and more about groups of educated decision makers.

More info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalai_Lama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchen_Lama