Tibetan Buddhism in Its Prime

By staff reporter LI YUAN

Tibetan Buddhism in Its Prime

By staff reporter LI YUAN

Lamas and locals attend the “sunning”ceremony of the giant portrait of Padma Sambhava on June 10，2014 at the Churpu Monastery in Doilungdeqen County，Lhasa.

WITH a history spanning 1，400 years，Tibetan Buddhism has a profound influence on Tibet's politics，economy，culture，and society. It has undergone robust and orderly development in the 50 years since the establishment of Tibet Autonomous Region，manifest in the religious freedom enjoyed by local people，and it has contributed positively to various undertakings of the region.

Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub is the seventh Drukhang Living Buddha and also a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC），vice-chairman of the CPPCC Tibet Committee，and president of the Buddhist Association of China Tibet branch. It's no wonder that Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub calls himself the busiest Living Buddha in the country. Whenever I tried to contact him for an interview he was always out of town - giving lectures，participating in poverty relief or student aid programs，or on charity drives to dispatch free medicines to those in need. I eventually caught up with him in Beijing，where he was attending a meeting.

Healthy Development of Religious Affairs

Drukhang Living Buddha of the Gelug Sect is the most revered Living Buddha on the northern Tibetan Plateau，and dates back 380 years. Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub was identified as the seventh Living Buddha in 1958，the frst reincarnation of a Living Buddha after the peaceful liberation of Tibet. Involving close attention from the central government，his enthronement was the most extravagant of any Drukhang Living Buddha so far.

The reincarnation of Living Buddhas and the related rules and practices are an integral part of the continuation of Tibetan Buddhism，and are fully re-spected by the government. The latest statistics show that there are now 358 Living Buddhas in Tibet，60 of whom are newly selected and enthroned by way of the reincarnation system.

As a prominent religious figure，Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub has witnessed and been part of the vigorous development of Tibetan Buddhism in China. “Under the theocratic rule in feudal times faith was held to ransom by politics and its sanctity was impaired. Under the socialist system，Tibet Autonomous Region separates religion from polity，thus allowing believers to freely practice and preach Buddhism.”

According to Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub，there are 1，787 religious venues of various kinds and 46，000 monks and nuns in Tibet. Over the past years the regional government implemented a slew of measures to improve the wellbeing of local religious communities，including funding for modern utilities at temples. So far more than 70 percent of local temples have paved access roads，running water，electricity，telecommunications networks，and TV and radio broadcast facilities. Fitness facilities totaling a value of RMB 1.2 million have been allocated to 20 monasteries. The regional government also promulgated a decree for insurance coverage for local monks and nuns，and appropriated RMB 13 million for this purpose. This move extended medical insurance and pension coverage to 93.3 percent and 66.8 percent of Tibetan clergy respectively，while the basic allowance for subsistence has reached everyone eligible. The local government provides free regular health checks to monks and nuns and keeps health records for them.

President Xi Jinping's remark that “governance of the border area is critical to the governance of the state，and stability in Tibet is critical to the governance of frontiers” encapsulates the signifcance of Tibet. With this understanding，Tibet Autonomous Region has been probing a system of better management of its religious establishments.

Since late 2011 the regional government has established management committees at local monasteries，whose members include both competitive officials and accomplished members of these institutions. Such committees look after education，administration，and services for religious personnel. In this way such affairs as applications for leave，religious activities，and fnance are well regulated and handled. The committees also organize teaching sessions for their members on the state's religious policies，rights and benefts of religious practitioners，and current affairs of interest.

The Chinese government has sponsored preservation programs for a multitude of Tibetan Buddhist sites.

In the view of Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub，the innovation of monastery administration lies in shifting its focus from management to services. “Take monastic discipline as the teacher. No discipline，no laws.” With these measures the monks and nuns can be better committed to their practices，loving their country，and defending their faith. So they are of great beneft，” the Living Buddha said.

The Chinese government has sponsored preservation programs for a multitude of Tibetan Buddhist sites，including the renovation of the Potala Palace，which was lauded by UNESCO officials as a “miracle in the history of preserving ancient architecture.” Since 2008 China has invested RMB 570 million in the repair and maintenance of the Jokhang，Ramoche，Sera，and Zhaibung monasteries. Buddhist classics are recompiled and republished，including Chinese Tripitaka Kangyur，the General Catalogue of Tibetan Tripitaka in Chinese and Tibetan，and Sublime Interpretation of the Seven Treatises of Hetuvidya. A good number of Kalpa-sutras，or rules of ceremonies，biographies，and studies of Tibetan Buddhism by research institutions，scholars and senior lamas have also been printed.

Lamas of the Ningma Sect engage in a sutra debate session，a traditional method of study in Tibetan Buddhism.

Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub is impressed with this progress： “These precious aspects of cultural heritage belong to Tibet，but also to the entire Chinese nation and all humankind. We religious fgures are heartened by the fact that the state is sparing no efforts in preserving them.”

The experience of Tibet Autonomous Region has corroborated the significance of all-round，high-caliber talents to the management of temples and their future development.

A religious ritual at the Churpu Monastery，a major shrine of the Karma Kagyu Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Education System Enhanced

Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub is president of the Buddhist Academy of Tibet，located next to the Rato Monastery in Nyetang Township of Quxu County，Lhasa. The academy is the first comprehensive higher education institution of Tibetan Buddhism in the autonomous region，and its faculty and students come from all five major sects of the religion. Inspired by the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China，it combines modern and traditional pedagogy，operating three divisions respectively responding to the Esoteric Sect，Exoteric Sect and Living Buddhas，and offering courses in three categories - legal affairs，public affairs，and Buddhism. Its 13 lecturers are all senior priests from across Tibet.

So far the academy has concluded two sessions of the religious title studies program and seven sessions of the program for monks and nuns from remote frontier areas. The students，numbering nearly 1，000，have hailed from the full range of sects and divisions of Buddhism.

Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub accredits the vitality of his academy to the central government's patronage of Tibetan Buddhism. “The education system of Tibetan Buddhism is improving steadily in terms of curriculum and teaching methods，cultivating outstanding monks and nuns who are dedicated to their country and religion. An innovative academic system that integrates modern schools with traditional seminaries has been established，inaugurating and completing the academic title system for Tibetan Buddhism.” The Living Buddha said that the experience of Tibet Autonomous Region has corroborated the signifcance of all-round，high-caliber talents to the management of temples and their future development.

The sixth Razheng Living Buddha，Lodro Gyaco Trinley Lhunzhub，was one of the first graduates of the Buddhist Academy of Tibet. He proudly recalled that his paper on the environmental theories of Tibetan Buddhism won first prize at Tibet's frst writing contest on the doctrines and disciplines of Tibetan Buddhism. He observed in his thesis： “The lust of humankind induces disharmony in the relations between people and people，people and animals，and people and nature in general，resulting in various catastrophes. Deeds of goodness willrestore harmony in the ecosystem，and more damage to the environment will result in more disasters.”

According to Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub，his students show broad interests and concerns. “Besides Buddhism，the most discussed topics include contributions by eminent monks to national unity，self-improvement by members of different sects to catch up with the times，evolving Buddhist theories in the synchronization of the times，Buddhism's influence on world peace，and practicability of environmental ideas in Buddhist doctrines.”

In recent years the regional government has promulgated statutes to support the Buddhist Academy of Tibet and to regulate the title awarding work at the academy. The Buddhist Academy of Tibet and the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in Beijing are two leading incubators of high-ranking Tibetan Buddhist priests in China. Below them are the sutra-learning classes organized by 60-plus monasteries of different sects in Tibet，which offer traditional religious courses and evaluate and confer academic degrees on their students.

Since 2005 the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China has held annual examinations for the Dorampa degree. Meanwhile，examinations for the Geshe Lharampa degree are held in Jokhang，Ganden，Sera，and Zhaibung monasteries. So far 84 monks have obtained the Geshe Lharampa degree，and 46 achieved the Dorampa degree.

To widen access to higher education for local lamas，the Buddhist Academy of Tibet opened a branch at the Shabten Monastery in Nagqu in 2011. In July 2015 the first batch of students finished a four-year course. The academy has also sponsored several sessions for lamas in remote areas，unprecedented in the history of Tibetan Buddhism education.

The best time for Buddhism is the period when different religious sects live in peace，which is in the interests of the nation and the people.

Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub （left） awards a lama who has passed his academic exams with Buddhist title certification.

Social Integration Fosters Vitality

Today Tibetan Buddhism is no longer confined to Chinese regions inhabited by Tibetan people. It is known and practiced globally. Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub commutes between China's inland and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau，and travels extensively abroad. In these exchanges he is frequently asked about the adaptation of Tibetan Buddhism to social progress in the new era，and his answer is，“The essence of Buddhism is great mercy. It requires no harm to any life，and believes that all sins will be selfpunished. The mission of Buddhism is to salvage humankind from worldly sins and sufferings. These are all relevant in today's society，so the cardinals of Buddhism see no need for any change.”

Drukhang Tubdain Kaizhub believes that Tibetan Buddhism must acclimatize to socialist society，and has all the conditions to do so. “The fate of a religion is interwoven with that of the nation. Healthy development of the religion and full commitment by its followers is only possible in a strong，prosperous，and stable country. Due to the purport of Buddhism and under the condition of the current social system，laws，and policies，Tibetan Buddhism now can well adapt to the socialist society，” he said.

The Living Buddha warned that Tibetan Buddhism must be wary of infiltration by secessionism and draw a clear line between religion and superstition. He also stressed unity within Tibetan Buddhism：“The various sects have different approaches to reaching enlightenment，but share the same tenets and goals. So we are all one family.” He said that history testifies that the best time for Buddhism is the period when different religious sects live in peace，which is in the interests of the nation and the people.

“One of the three largest religions in the world，Buddhism has confluence with Confucianism and Taoism in China and has become a key component of traditional Chinese culture. As China continues to grow and exert influence internationally，Tibetan Buddhism has entered its prime.”