Dhamdul

Introduction:

WhenXi Jinping came to power in China there was much optimism among many especiallythe Tibetans and the larger Buddhist community in China because of thePresident’s strong affinity with this particular religion. Many Tibetans evenHis Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama praised how president Xi Jinpingwas more realistic than his predecessors and statedhow his administration aregradually embracing spiritualism, when the Chinese leader visited India in2014. This sparked many debates among the Tibetan community as to how theremight finally be a light at the end of the arduousstruggle, we have been goingthrough with regard to being under the suppression of the Chinese Communistgovernment.

XiJinping’s affinity to Buddhism:

Xi’saffinity to Buddhism is not a sudden tryst but rather built up graduallythrough his upbringing with his father, Xi Zhongxun being a strong advocate ofBuddhism and other religious institutions when he headed the Chinese CommunistParty’s (CCP) religious work. Under such guidance Xi grew close to the Buddhistcommunity with his relationship with a Buddhist monk Shi Youming who headed theZhengding temples in Hebei province being an epitome of his closeness to thecommunity and his respect towards it whether he was a believer or not.

Dramaticshift after rise in power:

Yetas Lord Acton stated “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Xi Jinping since hisrise to power has adhered to this very statement and has done a complete 360 inhis view to not only Buddhism but the larger religious community in China. Theones that have been largely impacted by this complete change of persona havebeen the Tibetan Buddhists and the Uyghur Muslims. The rampant policiesimplemented in these two regions which by and large remain territories annexedby the current Chinese political party brings to question as to what sort ofgovernance is being implemented here? Is it Socialism with Chinesecharacteristics or Genocide with holocaust attributes?

Buddhismin Tibet with Xi in power:

AfterXi Jinping became the president of China there has been a gradual shift in theCCP’s view and policies over Buddhism in Tibet, which has of recent times beenattacked through various channels by the government. This is not to say thatthe religion has remain untouched during the initial period of his leadership.In fact, many of the polices implemented currently has had their foundationslaid then. The root of all being the certification of reincarnated TibetanBuddhist lamas which undermined centuries of practice and tradition, therebygiving a strong indication of how the CCP under Xi Jinping will not beappeasing the religious community but rather would adopt a hard-handed approachmuch like the Machiavellian approach of governance, where fear is used togained obedience.

Thiswas followed up when tangible Buddhist structures became the target. Thedestruction of Larung Gar in Tibet, the world’s largest Buddhist monasticinstitution in 2016 was just the beginning of what was to come and this moveshowcased to the world how under Xi it was not only the spiritual side of sideof Buddhism that is targeted but also the physical and tangible edicts ofBuddhism in Tibet.

Manymonks also committed self-immolation from 2013-2020 because of the dire situationthey were facing when it came to practicing the faith, they believed in. One byone several polices were implemented from Beijingthrough the directives of XiJinping in demolishing Buddhism in Tibet, bringing a period similar to thetimes of the Cultural revolution.

Recentpolicies after consolidation:

Sincelast year (2021) when President Xi Jinping consolidated his power and signaledan era of dictatorship in China. The project of demolishing Buddhism in Tibethas gained further impetus as every day we hear and witness incidents of howthe CCP is not leaving any stones unturned in its ambition of ridding Buddhismout of Tibet eventually.

Inlate December, 2021 a very prominent 99-foot Buddha statue was completelydemolished along with the 45-huge prayers wheels surrounding it in Kham, Drakgosituated in the Sichuan province of Chinese demarcated Tibet.This statue wasjust completed in 2015 after gaining all the required paperwork and was constructedbecause the region and its people sought protection from the frequentearthquakes impacting it. However, regardless of the local Tibetans and thereligious sentiment tied to it, the CCP and its official demolished thisstructure with an attitude of difference. And to many observerssignaled the roadahead under the Xi’s confirmed dictatorship. The buck did not stop there asanother three-story Maitreya Buddha statue was recently demolished by the CCPin this very region thereby creating a nexus of demolishing Buddhist structuresin Kham.

Tofurther highlight the insensitivity of the ruling CCP under Xi there has been astrong move in stopping the propagation of Tibet Buddhism in Tibet and China.This is seen through the recent announcement by the Measures on the Administrationof Internet Religious Information Services whereby it gave authorities measuresto clamp down online religious activity. This measure was adopted afterpresident Xi in his speech at the National Conference on Work Related toReligious Affairs in Beijing last December called for punishing believers usingsocial networks for religious activities and criticism of the government’sreligious policy. This move impacted the online Wechat groups heavily, wherethe presence of Buddhist groups grewand had gained huge popularity with theadvent of the pandemic.

Notstopping there, the most recent attack has been on the Tibetans in Amdo, Chinademarcated Qinghai province where Chinese officials have now warned and givennotice to Tibetans to not keep any portraits of Tibetan religious teachers inexile. It is a known fact that the portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama isbanned in China but now this has even extended to the other religious teachersincluding the His Eminence the Karmapa, His Eminence the Sakya Trizen and manymore prominent teachers in exile.

Conclusion:

Thesavior Xi has completely morphed into the satan Xi to the Tibetans with hisactions speaking for themselves. Since Xi’s consolidation of power, the CCPhave been ruthless and have since adopted a two-pronged approach of eradicatingand Sinicizing Tibet’s religion. One, destroying the very Buddhist structuresand two, eradicating the very means of Buddhist learning be it online as well whichhad gained traction during the pandemic.

Tibetand Buddhism have remained ever synonymous since the early 7^thcentury when Buddhism first gained prominence in Tibet with both helping eachother and developing a very unique culture, tradition and civilization alongthe way. Under Xi’ regime and his rampant policies from Beijing this very age-oldphenomenon is being threatened. If current trends continue, Buddhism in Tibetwould truly be a tale of yesterday and a history.