As the 81-year old Dalai Lama approaches his latter years, China announced again its claims of being able to retain the right to announce which baby will be the new reincarnated Dalai Lama. Chairman Zhu Weiqun of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs committee, which stands as a top advisory body to China's parliament, wrote "The central government has stiffened its resolve to decide on the reincarnation of 'living Buddhas' so as to ensure victory over the anti-separatist struggle." Let me say that one more time. The atheistic, communist, government of China says it holds the right to decide who will be reincarnated and when. Its like a strict orthodox Jew laying out all the parameters for how worship should be offered to Athena.
Of course, this contradiction does not escape them. China is certainly aware of it. But noticing the irony doesn't make them hesitate for a moment! That is because the Dalai Lama's reincarnation "is first and foremost a political matter." Political expediency is the end game. Everything else lines up behind that, even if it means laws that assume spiritual realities they already resolutely deny. It is amazing how fractional and compartmental our convictions and beliefs have become, particularly in the service of political ends.
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