The website of the State Administration for Religious Affairs of the People's Republic of China has a list of persons who are considered a possible embodiment of the Buddha. It included 870 people who are followers of Tibetan Buddhism.
The list is accompanied by a commentary in which the PRC authorities explain that the purpose of the publication is to try to exclude the possibility of deception, since, according to the authors of the commentary, many scammers, posing as Tibetan monks who are the reincarnation of the Buddha, lure money from believers.
However, observers believe that Beijing is thus trying to find out who can become the next Dalai Lama - the spiritual leader of Tibet, according to the BBC Russian Service.
Recently, as previously reported, Chairman of the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs of the Chinese Parliament, Zhu Weiquun, said that Beijing, despite criticism from human rights activists and statements by the current spiritual leader of Tibet, will never give up its right to confirm the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama.
According to Zhu Weiqun, the central government has strengthened its decision to confirm the reincarnation of the "living Buddha" (as the Dalai Lama is sometimes called. - Ed.), In order to thereby guarantee victory over the separatists.
Meanwhile, the residents of Tibet fear that official China will use the problem of inheriting the throne of the Dalai Lamas in its own way. According to experts, if the Tibetans recognize a new leader, determined by their spiritual teacher, and the other after the death of the Dalai Lama, Beijing will "nominate", then Tibetan Buddhism will be divided.
Beijing continues to argue that the Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in India since the failed 1959 anti-China uprising, is a violent separatist. The Dalai Lama himself denies his participation in the struggle for independence and advocates only for the true autonomy of Tibet.
Followers of Tibetan Buddhism believe that the soul of the deceased Dalai Lama after his death should be reincarnated in the body of a child. Beijing believes that this tradition should continue and that the next Dalai Lama should be approved by the authorities. However, the current Dalai Lama does not exclude that the existing "chain" of reincarnations may end with his death. The government also emphasizes that the current Dalai Lama has no right to abandon reincarnation.
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Zhu Weiqun's commentary states that the issue of reincarnation “was never a purely religious issue or a private matter of the Dalai Lama. This is primarily an important political issue that reinforces the position of the central government of the PRC on Tibet."
Since the Dalai Lama is also the political leader of Tibet, whoever holds the title of Dalai Lama will be able to "rule and political power in Tibet," Zhu Weiquun added.
“That is why,” he continued, “since ancient times, the central government has never yielded and will never give up the right to resolve the issue of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.”
"This is not only necessary, but also meets legal requirements and has nothing to do with whether the government believes in religion or not."
Meanwhile, the current Dalai Lama fears that if Beijing names his successor, then from now on it will be considered that "a precedent has been set."
As noted by Reuters, a similar precedent has already taken place. In 1995, the Dalai Lama pointed to a Tibetan boy who is the reincarnation of the previous Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism. The Panchen Lama is the title of the mentors of the Dalai Lamas, who are considered the incarnation of Buddha Amitabha. However, the Chinese authorities placed the child under house arrest and “assigned” someone else to replace him. Many Tibetans reject the Panchen Lama appointed by the Chinese as false.
According to Buddhist doctrine, Siddhartha Gautama, who became Buddha, was born in 623 BC, although many scholars are inclined to believe that he lived between 390 and 340 BC.
Buddhists believe that in the most difficult time for people, the Buddha of the future will appear and with the light of his teaching he will tear them out of the darkness of delusions and base passions.