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The majority of Tibetans believe in Tibetan Buddhism. There are
also about 2,000 Muslims and 600 Catholics in the autonomous region.
Respect for and protection of freedom of religious belief is a
basic policy of the Chinese government. After the peaceful liberation
of Tibet, organizations at all levels in Tibet earnestly carried
out the policy, gaining the appreciation of both monks and lay people.
Protected by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China
and state laws, the Tibetan people now enjoy full freedom to participate
in normal religious activities. Almost every religious family has
a small sutra recitation hall or a niche for a Buddhist statue.
More than 1 million worshipers make the pilgrimage to Lhasa each
year. Sutra streamers and Mani stone mounds put up by devout believers
can be seen everywhere in Tibet. Inside and outside famous monasteries
such as the Jokhang are crowds of worshipers either prostrating
in prayer, turning their prayer wheels or bowing to Buddhist statues.
During the period of the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), however,
in Tibet as in other parts of China, the policy on freedom of religious
belief was disrupted, and sites and facilities for religious activities
were seriously damaged. After the "cultural revolution" ended, the
policy on freedom of religious belief began to be implemented again
in Tibet in an all-round way. Since 1980, unjust, false and wrong
cases have been redressed in Tibet and religious institutions have
been reinstated or established, and a great deal of work has been
done to ensure freedom of religious belief for all citizens. Over
the past decade and more, the Chinese government has appropriated
more than 200 million yuan in special funds to implement the religious
policy in Tibet. The funds were used to renovate the Jokhang Monastery
built in the 7th century, the Samye Monastery built by the king
of the Tubo Kingdom in the 8th century, and the four famous monasteries
of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism -- Zhaibung, Sera, Gandan
and Tashilhunpo. For the renovation of the Potala Palace alone,
the central government allotted a lump sum of more than 40 million
yuan. In 1984, the central government provided 6.7 million yuan
in special funds, 111 kg of gold, 2,000 kg of silver and large quantities
of jewelry for the renovation, under the direction of the late 10th
Bainqen Lama, of the holy stupas and the memorial halls for the
5th to the 9th Bainqen Lamas. To date, more than 1,400 religious
centers have been renovated and opened to the public, meeting the
needs of the religious people for their normal religious life. The
government has also exerted every effort to locate those Buddhist
statues, instruments used in Buddhist services and other religious
articles that got lost during the "cultural revolution" and distributed
them to the various monasteries and temples, to the welcome of monks
and lay people.
In recent years, various religious organizations have organized
religious activities on their own. The Tibet branch of the Buddhist
Association of China established the Tibet College of Buddhism in
1983 and opened sutra studying classes in some monasteries and temples
of various religious sects. There are a total of 3,000 monk students.
Every year, a number of Living Buddhas and lamas are sent to the
China Tibetan Language High Institute of Buddhism in Beijing for
advanced studies. In 1984, the autonomous region's people's government
presented the Lhasa edition of the Gangyur of Tripitaka
in Tibetan, which used to be kept in local archives, to the Tibet
Buddhist Association. It offered 500,000 yuan to the latter for
the establishment of the Lhasa Sutra Printing House which, in recent
years, has printed more than 1,000 volumes of the Gangyur
of Tripitaka in Tibetan for Tibetan Buddhist monasteries
and temples located both inside and outside the autonomous region.
In 1990, with another 500,000 yuan proffered by the government,
the Tibet Buddhist Association started the carving of printing blocks
for the Lhasa edition of the Dangyur of Tripitaka
in Tibetan in Lhasa's Muru Monastery. The 13th Dalai Lama had intended
to commission the work, but the plan never materialized. The journal
Tibetan Buddhism was launched by the Tibet Buddhist Association
in 1985. Today, the region has more than 34,000 lamas and nuns.
A total of 615 people from religious circles have become deputies
to the people's congresses and members of the people's political
consultative conferences at various levels, as well as directors
of the Buddhist associations and government officials. They participate
in the management and discussion of government affairs and devote
themselves to Tibet's construction undertakings together with other
local citizens.
The government respects and protects traditional religious activities
and the rites of the various sects. According to the rituals of
Tibetan Buddhism and historical traditions, after a Living Buddha
passes away his position should be inherited by his incarnation
through traditional methods. On June 25, 1992, the central government
confirmed the incarnate soul boy of the 16th Living Buddha Garmaba.
Government department officials attend such religious activities
as the annual Grand Summons Ceremony in Lhasa, the pilgrimage to
Snow Mountain in the Year of the Horse, the pilgrimage to the Holy
Lake of Nam Co in the Year of the Sheep and the Walking-Around-Religious-Rock
Festival at the Razheng Monastery, and offer alms each time. Wedding
and funeral customs with religious links also receive full regard.
Thanks to the earnest implementation of the policy on freedom of
religious belief, different religions, sects, monasteries, and both
religious and secular people in Tibet respect one another and live
in harmony. China's Constitution also clearly stipulates that no
one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt
public order, impair the health of citizens and hamper the country's
educational system. Those who carry out law-breaking and conduct
criminal activities under the guise of religion will be prosecuted
according to law. In recent years, some monks and nuns in Tibet
received legal retribution because they infringed on the law. They
were involved in riots that endangered social security and disrupted
public order, engaged in beating, smashing, looting, burning and
killing and carried out other criminal activities. None was arrested
and declared guilty because of religious belief.
Buddhist organizations and religious circles in Tibet have actively
carried out friendly exchanges with their counterparts abroad. Since
China introduced reform and opening up, the Tibet branch of the
Buddhist Association of China and some monasteries and temples have
organized religious groups to go on friendly tours, visits, inspections
and academic exchanges abroad. They have also hosted more than 10,000
people from several dozen countries who came, either in groups or
individually, on pilgrimage, or for sightseeing or inspection tours.
Since the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, many noted religious
figures have worked in co-operation with the Chinese Communist Party
and the government, and participated in the management and discussion
of government affairs. They have played an active part in the construction
of the country and Tibet, earning the admiration of the people and
winning the respect of the government. For several decades, the
late 10th Bainqen Erdeni Qoigyi Gyaincan, co-leader of Tibetan Buddhism
with the Dalai Lama, constantly adhered to a patriotic stand and
made great contributions to the peaceful liberation of Tibet, to
the struggle against separatism, to the safeguarding of the unification
of the motherland and to the strengthening of the unity of various
ethnic groups. After the founding of the People's Republic of China,
he served as a vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee and the
honorary president of the Buddhist Association of China. He passed
away in January 1989. The government decided to build a holy stupa
and memorial hall for the remains of the 10th Bainqen Erdeni Qoigyi
Gyaincan in the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, and hold memorial
ceremonies, preserve his body and look for and choose the reincarnated
soul boy to succeed him according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Currently, structures of the holy stupa and the memorial hall are
basically completed, and the search for the child is proceeding
smoothly under the charge of Living Buddha Qazha Qamba Chilai of
the Tashilhunpo Monastery.
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