This afternoon, as I sat in the waiting room at my wife's doctors appointment, I picked up the August 27, 2007 Edition of Newsweek Magazine and read a story with the headline reading "BeliefWatch: Reincarnation -- China Regulates Buddhist Reincarnation" I have included the date of the article and the "by line' just so you don't think I've gone off the deep end myself. This is an actual story that someone in Newsweek Magazine authorized the waste of paper and ink on. And America is developing a "Problem" with Christianity! Wow!
By Matthew Philips
Newsweek
Aug. 20-27, 2007 issue - In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation." But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country. By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.
Back to reality, please! Now if I understand this right, China has written a law that states that the next Dalai Lama, can only be reincarnated from within the confines of the country of China. I read several "posts" to this ridiculous article on the Internet and some were "witty" some concerning and others just down right funny. China's proposal, using the law, says that they are taking over the duties of the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob and no longer need His services as they have the ability to accomplish such a task as "Planting & Placing" a man's soul.
Here is a blog from a person simply known as Alistair which I thought was particularly funny and pointed...
"Chuckles... I can't really see there's any way they can begin to enforce this. I wonder how the monks themselves and the Dalai Lama feel? Maybe he will argue politically over it?
I can see the headline now. And the subsequent report.
Drama Lama Ding Dong!
In an amazing turn of events the Dalai Lama today revealed that, unless China releases its hold on Tibet, he plans to reincarnate, not in the east, but in a remote Swiss town!
Fears of a slaughter "en mass" of the kind not seen since Herod (allegedly) had away with first born babies in an attempt to kill off the King of the Jews before he got out of the manger manifested when, China moved to put a stop to reincarnation by banning it within Tibet without governmental permission!
The Dalai Lama issued a statement saying that, although he saw this as a classic example of the totalitarian regime Tibet is against, abiding by the laws of the land is something which has to be observed, so as to demonstrate that, it is possible to circumvent such things! "Switzerland is a well known neutral country and is ideal for the purposes of this." He also added in a characteristic show of humour that, "Because of their history with timekeeping, I can get my rebirth timed perfectly down to the last second".
A statement from a Chinese official on the Dalai's cunning plan to bypass these new laws read simply "It's not unusual in the world for a Lama to spit in the eye of those who wish to try to control it."
If this wasn't so serious it would actually be funny. Here we have a government (China) all away around the other side of the world, using government money, power and influence to determine, WHERE, WHEN, and WHO the soul of the next Dalai Lama will reincarnate into. Christians , PLEASE SPEAK UP! Do you see any 1st Century political similarities here? God help us to get OUT OF YOUR WAY before we screw something else up! My Bible says that God and God alone, breathed "life" into Adam and gave him his soul. Can we stand by and watch these "unlearned" go to hell because the believe in a tradition rather than a Savior? According to this story, Chinese Doctors would be standing in the "Delivery" rooms of hospitals watching for someone to "hand" the Dalai Lama's soul to. Can they get anymore arrogant?
Below this line is the entire story as it appeared in Newsweek in August 2007.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
China Regulates Buddhist Reincarnation
By Matthew Philips
Newsweek
Aug. 20-27, 2007 issue - In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation." But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country. By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.
At 72, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since 1959, is beginning to plan his succession, saying that he refuses to be reborn in Tibet so long as it's under Chinese control. Assuming he's able to master the feat of controlling his rebirth, as Dalai Lamas supposedly have for the last 600 years, the situation is shaping up in which there could be two Dalai Lamas: one picked by the Chinese government, the other by Buddhist monks. "It will be a very hot issue," says Paul Harrison, a Buddhism scholar at Stanford. "The Dalai Lama has been the prime symbol of unity and national identity in Tibet, and so it's quite likely the battle for his incarnation will be a lot more important than the others."
So where in the world will the next Dalai Lama be born? Harrison and other Buddhism scholars agree that it will likely be from within the 130,000 Tibetan exiles spread throughout India, Europe and North America. With an estimated 8,000 Tibetans living in the United States, could the next Dalai Lama be American-born? "You'll have to ask him," says Harrison. If so, he'll likely be welcomed into a culture that has increasingly embraced reincarnation over the years. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 20 percent of all U.S. adults believe in reincarnation. Recent surveys by the Barna Group, a Christian research nonprofit, have found that a quarter of U.S. Christians, including 10 percent of all born-again Christians, embrace it as their favored end-of-life view. A non-Tibetan Dalai Lama, experts say, is probably out of the question.
Maybe I'm missing something important...but this much I am well aware of. God is not the focus of this story and event, but rather mankind is the focus, and for their efforts, according to God's Holy Word, they will be judged!
Just Dave's Thoughts...
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