Chinese Mandarin -

VIII. Freedom of Religious Belief

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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