China's game plan to sinicize Buddhism in Tibet exposed

New Delhi: The establishment of the Higher Buddhist Institute through the guidance of Communist Party of China (CPC) marks a fundamental change in the way of cultivating senior Tibetan Buddhist talents, and has opened a new chapter in the history of Modern Tibetan Buddhist education, to allow only that degree of freedom of religious belief which would be compatible with "complete acceptance of communism in China".

The Higher Buddhist Institute of the Tibetan Department in Beijing was initiated by the late 10th Panchen Lama and President of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC), Zhao Puchu, with the approval of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, on September 1, 1987 in Xihuang Monastery in Beijing. The 10th Panchen Lama personally served as the first President, and Zhao Puchu, then President of the BAC, was the Senior Advisor.

This Institute is the only full-time institution across China of higher learning with the qualification of 'Tuorangpa' senior academic title (doctorate) training and awarding with the goal of cultivating high-quality monks. The current abbot is the 6th Lobsang Jigme Thubten Chokyi Nyima Living Buddha.

Since the establishment and implementation of the three-level academic title system of Tibetan Buddhism in 2004, the college has awarded a total of 363 senior titles and 150 intermediate titles of 'Zhiranpa'.

The college plans to enroll 39 students in the 2025 senior title class, including 13 Gelugpa, 13 Sakya and 13 Bon Pothroughout China. The enrollment targets of this institute are the winners of the intermediate title of 'Zhiranpa' of the Tibetan Department of Buddhism and the monks of the temple with high comprehensive quality.

Courses to be taught are mainly 'Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era', as well as courses such as 'Introduction to the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics', 'Modern Chinese History' and 'Constitution and Legal Foundation'. Further, students have to carry out on-site teaching in Beijing and surrounding patriotic education bases, cultural relics and historic sites, museums, modern enterprises and other places to participate in academic exchange meetings such as doctrinal interpretation seminars and Huangsi forums, and carry out exchanges with domestic and foreign religious schools and academic institutions.

Chinese State through the BAC, which is a key instrument in the CPC's strategy to assimilate and transform Tibetan Buddhism, particularly in relation to the search for and recognition of reincarnate lamas intends to destroy Tibetan Buddhism's unique qualities and to retain it as a 'tool of convenience' in the hands of Chinese State. This is called Sinification. Sinification is thus linked to the future of Tibetan Buddhism. In this connection, China is attempting to create a false narrative in terms of its history, as with China's political claim over Tibet, which it says goes back in history.

According to a report by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), China's State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) issued a revised version of the 'Measures for the Administration of Tibetan Buddhist Temples'.

This was adopted in September 2024 and came into force in January, significantly expanding state control over Tibetan religious practice by embedding political mandates into Tibetan religious administration. These measures are part of the broader state efforts to assimilate Tibetan Buddhism, religious and cultural identity into the dominant Han identity, thereby undermining Article 36 of China's 1982 Constitution.

The Chinese State has also been accused of escalating its suppression of religious freedom in Tibet in the last 15 years. Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration through coercive 'patriotic education' campaigns designed to instill loyalty, strict control over monastic institutions of learning and widespread arbitrary arrests and detentions has tightened its grip. Significantly, BAC is playing a prominent role in Sinicizing Tibetan Buddhism. BAC is a tool for implementing sinicization campaigns and advancing CPC's political agenda through United Front Work Department (UFWD) along with State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA).

(The writer is an expert on South Asia and Eurasia. He was formerly with Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Views expressed are personal)

--IANS

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