China projects 'Panchen Lama' at parliament meet

[WisdomBeing]

This article is interesting because, contrary to what i have heard - that China is against religion - China seems to happy to promote the young Panchen Lama. And at the Chinese parliament too... which means that the government is very publicly willing to endorse Tibetan Buddhism.

Although the 23-year-old Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu is not recognised by many outside of China, due to the controversy over the disappearance of the Dalai Lama identified Panchen Lama, here the Panchen Lama is increasingly being given recognition by the top leaders of China.

What I find exciting is that Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu’s monastery in Tibet, Tashi Lhunpo, practices Dorje Shugden. So if Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu becomes more high profile, receives the support of the Chinese government and gains public popularity, Dorje Shugden’s practice will spread. It doesn’t matter if people don’t recognise him outside of China. The population of China is big enough!


3 MAR, 2012, 09.09PM IST, PTI
China projects 'Panchen Lama' at parliament meet
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/china-projects-panchen-lama-at-parliament-meet/articleshow/12125883.cms

China today prominently projected Panchen Lama, its purported alternative to the Dalai Lama, during the inaugural session of the annual meeting of the Chinese parliament, amid a volatile situation in Tibet following recurring suicides by Buddhist monks and nuns.

The 23-year-old Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, who was inducted into the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an influential advisory legislative body in 2010, was given prominent coverage both in the state television and official website on its opening day today.

Bainqen, who was chosen by China to be 11th Panchen Lama, was seated along with a senior Buddhist monk in the CPPCC session at the Great Hall Of People, which was attended among others by the entire Chinese leadership, including President Hu Jintao.

Bainqen, who is mostly based in Beijing, tours Tibet especially Shigatse, the seat of successive Panchen Lamas who are regarded in Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy next only to Dalai Lama in terms of spiritual influence.

Last month, he was recently given audience by Premier Wen Jiabao to greet him on the Tibetan New Year. Wen held a high profile reception for him in Zhongnanhai compound in central Beijing, where the Chinese leaders meet top global leaders

The meeting took place amid a tense situation in Tibet following a wave of self-immolations by Buddhist monks and nuns against Beijing's rule.

Over the last several months, 22 suicide attempts have taken place by monks and nuns calling for the return of the Dalai Lama from exile in India.

China has stepped up security and tightened controls in temples and monasteries to bring the situation under control. Top Chinese leaders have accused the Dalai Lama of instigating the self-immolations in Tibet.

[Namdrol]

This article is interesting because, contrary to what i have heard - that China is against religion - China seems to happy to promote the young Panchen Lama. And at the Chinese parliament too... which means that the government is very publicly willing to endorse Tibetan Buddhism.

Although the 23-year-old Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu is not recognised by many outside of China, due to the controversy over the disappearance of the Dalai Lama identified Panchen Lama, here the Panchen Lama is increasingly being given recognition by the top leaders of China.

All these are overtly political, the communists are not allowed to accept any religion except for the religion called "communism", but this is not the 50s or 60s, or even 80s, China cannot openly quell opposition by brute force like the Tainanmen Square incident anymore, they too have to adopt the milder approach, so by prominently projecting the Panchen Lama, their message is "see, we respect Tibetan Buddhism and see how well we treat the top leader of Tibetan Buddhism, we are very good to the Tibetan people and their religion"

This is the communist method to silence criticism from overseas about their suppression of Tibet.

[Galen]

China is all out to garner support from Tibetan Buddhist and is trying to portray their religious tolerance between the Government and the people. The Government realises that they could not suppress religious practices like what they have done during Communist rule and the Cultural Revolution. They are showing to the world that they are also liberal in their own way and get support from the international community. What better way than to promote the Panchen Lama who is the second highest leader in Tibetan Buddhism and also a high lama who practices Dorje Shugden. They are showing the world that they are promoting Buddhism.

Instead of always going against the Dalai Lama and projecting themselves as the "bad" person to their people, they are promoting the Panchen Lama and that will get the support of their own people. This is a far sighted strategy because, when the Dalai Lama eventually passes away, the Panchen Lama would have garnered enough support form the Chinese that he will be an influential figure in China. People will follow.

As history has shown, people forget easily. When the Dalai Lama passes on, maybe the stance on Tibet's independence will soften. And Tibet becomes a part of China. Bravo China!

[hope rainbow]

To me, this shows that The Dalai Lama is not working for himself, for his title, for his throne, it shows that He is working for the sake of others and on the issue of Tibet, if the Panchen Lama takes over the spiritual leadership, I do not see any problem. Thus, even on that, the Dalai Lama wins his battle...

Perhaps the 11th Panchen Lama is not recognized by some, but, hey... it was the same for the 6th Dalai Lama, for the second 6th Dalai lama and even the 7th dalai Lama...
Some were supported by Mongols, some by the Chinese court, some Dalai lamas were even both in human form at the same time, as is probably the case with the two 11th Panchen Lamas.

I hope the 12th Panchen lama will be recognized by all, putting the matter to rest so that we can all focus on the practice of lamrim, lojong, 50 stanzas, bodhisattva's way of life, wheel of sharp weapons, etc...

[Dondrup Shugden]

Tracing facts in history, China has progressed well for the last 30 years economically. If now the Chinese Government feels that it is time to propagate Buddhism, for spiritual growth instead of just material growth, I am all for it.

Promoting the Panchen Lama is promoting religious choice and whatever are the intentions of the Chinese authorities, I rejoice as a Buddhist that permission is given so publicly in China.

Is the Chinese Government doing this to stop protest in Tibet? Maybe and I wish them success. Let Buddhism flourish and expand in influence.  Buddhism creates peace and harmony.

And as a Dorje Shugden practitioner, I rejoice doubly as the Panchen Lama is a DS practitioner too.

 

[tsangpakarpo]

This article shows that China is now open to Tibetan Buddhism. Whether or not the Panchen Lama is recognized elsewhere does not really matter because this Panchen Lama is the one who opened the gateway for Tibetan Buddhism to spread further in China.

For the fact the Chinese Government is willing to endorse this Panchen Lama shows they accept the practice and the lineage. Can you imagine if Tibetan Buddhism becomes one of the main religions of the Chinese people? With over 1.3 billion people living in China, the potential is tremendous. And with China becoming a power house in the world, Tibetan Buddhism will only spread to other countries in the world, hopefully bringing along the practice of Dorje Shugden as well!

[triesa]

The Chinese will let buddhism grow provided that it is still under their control, it is indeed a very Chinese mentality here. The back end is still "control".

This Panchen Lama was picked and recognised by the Chinese governement ever since the hostile relationship began between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government. I dont think the Dalai Lama mind at all as long as Tibetan Buddhism is growing and flourishing under this circumstances. Afterall, may be this is one skillful way to spread buddhism and Dorje Shugden in China, as the Chinese government will promote anything that is claimed by rumours to shorten the life of the Dalai Lama and to prevent Tibet from gaining full autonomy. Bear in mind, the Panchen Lama is a DS practitioner!

I think any lamas would be happy to see this, afterall spreading buddhism and the teachings of Lord tsongkhapa is all that matters. Even Dalai Lama could be happily giggling from behind

[Vajraprotector]

The Dalai Lama recently lashed out at Chinese authorities, accusing them of trying to "annihilate Buddhism" in Tibet as he commemorated a failed uprising against China's rule over the region; and here on the other side, we hear that the Panchen Lama made an appearance in the inaugural session of the annual meeting of the Chinese parliament.

Some may think that Panchen Lama’s appearance is due to political tactics and strategies plotted by think tanks in serious meetings, but it is definitely another step to the growth and recognition of Tibetan Buddhism in China.  However, the approach of using Buddhism, such as highlighting China’s purported alternative to the Dalai Lama to win the hearts of the Tibetans, is not a recent one. Also, it is not only engaged in the era of Tibet-China conflict during the time of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

After the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, the Chinese Nationalists, without the traditional religious authority of the Manchu Emperor, promoted nationalism and racial unity in an effort to win support among Tibetans. Once this failed, Chinese politicians appealed to a shared Buddhist heritage. This shift in policy reflected the late-nineteenth-century academic notion of Buddhism as a unified world religion, rather than a set of competing and diverse Asian religious practices.

While Chinese politicians hoped to gain Tibetan loyalty through religion, the promotion of a shared Buddhist heritage allowed Chinese Buddhists and Tibetan political and religious leaders to pursue their goals. During the 1930s and 1940s, Tibetan Buddhist ideas and teachers enjoyed tremendous popularity within a broad spectrum of Chinese society and especially among marginalized Chinese Buddhists. Even when relationships between the elite leadership between the two nations broke down, religious and cultural connections remained strong.

After the Communists seized control, they continued to exploit this link when exerting control over Tibet by force in the 1950s. And despite being an avowedly atheist regime, with the exception of the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese communist government has continued to recognize and support many elements of Tibetan religious, if not political, culture. I'm especially happy to see that the Panchen Lama met Premier Wen Jiabao to greet him on the Tibetan New Year. Regardless of the sentiments, the fact is Tibetan Buddhism is being accepted, respected and given recognition in China.  Perhaps the Panchen Lama will grow to be the alternative to the Dalai Lama, as 1.3 billion people and the government accepts him as the face and spokesperson of Tibetan Buddhism in China, the next superpower.

[pgdharma]

The Chinese government is happy to promote this young Panchen Lama and the endorsement shows their acceptance of his practice and lineage. Even though this Panchen Lama is not recognized outside China it does not matter. He is a Dorje Shugden practitioner.  The bottom-line is that through him,  if Tibetan Buddhism becomes the main religion of the Chinese and with a population so huge, Dorje Shugden will spread like wildfire in China.

[brian]

i have a feeling that everybody in China practices Dorje Shugden! with the increasing promotion being made to make this China Panchen Lama famous and more recognised, he will be a hit in no time and who knows might he will even be able to influence many outside of China even!

It has been long understood that China wants to make Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu (aka China Panchen Lama) to be famous and take over the Tibetan Buddhism when HH Dalai Lama eventually passes on. I read it somewhere that HHDL's reincarnation might not be coming back after the 14th HHDL passed on which means the current Panchen Lama will be the 'throne' holder and that leads to the lift of the ban??? who would know what will happen but i hope the ban on Shugden practice will be lifted asap!

[kurava]

Like it or not , politics always mixes with religion.

This is the way throughout human history because politicians know the wisdom of controlling people's minds through religion and religions need the support of politicians to flourish !

Ideally , spirituality separates from politics. However, history shows that if a wise king ruled with spirituality , his country  flourished with peace and growth eg. Asoka's kingdom.

I think it is a good sign that China going on spiritual path whether contrived or genuine. At the least, the Chinese people are given opportunity to practice spirituality. Hopefully , with this turn of events  the Chinese will slowly be re-conditioned to value material gains less and strike a good balance between spirituality and materialism.

[Big Uncle]

Wow! This is good news to me. For ordinary beings like us, politics and political power corrupts us and make us do things that are contrary to the spread of the Dharma and Dorje Shugden practice. But for certain people who have higher motivation, they use their position or the power that they have to further the cause of the Dharma and of Dorje Shugden practice.

I am not clairvoyant, I can't see if the current Panchen Lama is the real incarnation or not. He could be as the level of Panchen Lama's attainments is capable of multiple simultaneous emanations. We can only observe and see. Many of the most elite Lamas of the Dorje Shugden lineage are going to him to seek his blessings. To me, that is a sign they recognize him because from their side, they must have observe something about him that we don't.

Whatever it is, the Panchen Lama is using his position very well to get himself acquainted with powerful people with the powerful nation of China. This will give him bigger and bigger political clout to help him to make changes in Tibet itself and also to promote his lineage and teachings in the future. Even he is not Panchen Lama but what he is doing wouldn't be very far from what the real Panchen Lama would be doing.
Instead of teaching thousands, which he is doing and will do more when he comes of age, or meditate in the monastery, which he will do from time to time but it is unnecessary as he needs to do a lot more to secure Buddhism in the 21st Century.

[dsiluvu]

No doubt this is another propaganda crafted by China and yes it sure looks like they are trying to show the world that even though they are still communist, they give "spiritual feedom" and that they've improve on the "human rights" issue which is what the world pressures China heavily on, especially when it comes to the Tibet issue.

But what I find remarkable is that the hand picked Panchen Lama (a Dorje Shugden practitioner) is being lead to be acquainted with China's 1.3billion nation & also to the "world" as the head of Tibetan Buddhism in China... and this is like a good way to prepare the Tibetans (in China) and the world on who they can look up to especially sorry to say when HHDL's passes. 

I like what you said BU...

Whatever it is, the Panchen Lama is using his position very well to get himself acquainted with powerful people with the powerful nation of China. This will give him bigger and bigger political clout to help him to make changes in Tibet itself and also to promote his lineage and teachings in the future. Even he is not Panchen Lama but what he is doing wouldn't be very far from what the real Panchen Lama would be doing.
Instead of teaching thousands, which he is doing and will do more when he comes of age, or meditate in the monastery, which he will do from time to time but it is unnecessary as he needs to do a lot more to secure Buddhism in the 21st Century.

Also interesting is that HHDL knowing all this, I'm sure because He is Chenrezig and He is clairvoyant.... creates the controversial Ban that will indirectly create the cause for Dorje Shugden to be very favourable to China and in this way it is only logical for us to foresee it spreading widely in China. Why would HHDL want to do that if he want the DS practise to stop? It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out by now.
After all the Panche Lama's monastery does DS freely and openly... how many hundreds of thousands goes there for refuge and blessings... how many more will go in the near future...

[shugdenpromoter]

Everything regarding Shugden and his practice seems to be very promising. All owing to Dalai Lama and his "strategy". I am amazed especially in the last 2 years how Shugden has been promoted all around like a tabloid, scandal and etc.

I am very happy with the fact that the Chinese government are supportive of the Shugden Lamas. It does not matter if they 'hate' DL but the effect is so greater ie the SPREAD OF SHUGDEN. I like to believe all lamas work together hand in hand to spread the dharma EFFECTIVELY in this degenerate era.

[Klein]

This article is interesting because, contrary to what i have heard - that China is against religion - China seems to happy to promote the young Panchen Lama. And at the Chinese parliament too... which means that the government is very publicly willing to endorse Tibetan Buddhism.

Although the 23-year-old Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu is not recognised by many outside of China, due to the controversy over the disappearance of the Dalai Lama identified Panchen Lama, here the Panchen Lama is increasingly being given recognition by the top leaders of China.

What I find exciting is that Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu’s monastery in Tibet, Tashi Lhunpo, practices Dorje Shugden. So if Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu becomes more high profile, receives the support of the Chinese government and gains public popularity, Dorje Shugden’s practice will spread. It doesn’t matter if people don’t recognise him outside of China. The population of China is big enough!

Thank you WisdomBeing for the article and your thoughts. What you said made sense. No matter what the Chinese Government's agenda is, the fact is that they endorse HH the Panchen Lama who represents Tibetan Buddhism. Whatever the Chinese Government endorses, the majority of the Chinese population will follow. This has been the case since Chairman Mao took over China.

This means that the Chinese will follow whatever HH practices.  HH is a practitioner of Dorje Shugden and has temples and monasteries in Tibet promoting the practice. With continuous endorsements from the Chinese Government, Tibetan Buddhism will become the main religion of China.

On a conservative level, if 10% of China's population follow HH's practices, it means that 130 million people are practising Dorje Shugden. With this number, the controversy created by HH the Dalai Lama makes more and more sense.