Buddhas need a passport
A new law was passed in China that brings a whole new meaning to the notion of ‘red tape’. The communist nation’s State Administration of Religious Affairs recently decreed that from the first of September 2007, all reincarnated beings must carry a valid permit. In a mind-achingly tedious list of official requirements, reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist monks must jump through a number of bureaucratic hoops before being issued with a state-sanctioned ‘Living Buddha permit’ granting them permission to exist.
According to the regulations, unlicensed reincarnation ‘shall be dealt administrative sanction’, but the exact penalties have not been revealed, which has prompted some to speculate that punishment could include multiple life sentences.
The move is clearly designed to ensure that the succession of the next Dalai Lama and other high level religious positions is controlled by the Chinese Government and not ‘under the dominion of any foreign organization or individual’.
But it is not yet clear whether it is part of a new initiative by the Government to control revivals of dead rock bands such as the recent reincarnation of The Police or the more insidious efforts to resurrect The Spice Girls. If so, then China may find it has more support from the international community than might be expected.
Join over 10,000 people just like you. Get e-mail updates about new content, issue alerts, contests, and more!
Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
New Internationalist (NI) workers' co-operative exists to report on issues of world poverty and inequality; to focus attention on the unjust relationship between the powerful and the powerless worldwide; to debate and campaign for the radical changes necessary to meet the basic needs of all; and to bring to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice.
Except where otherwise noted, images on this site are copyright of the photographer/illustrator or representative agency.Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.
