China's Control Over Buddhism

The blog has long pointed out the People's Republic of China's desire to control everything from the Catholic Church to the weather.

Now the Communist government is taking on the Buddhist cosmos. China has stated no llama may reincarnate without the government's permission. At first one may think "What, will the divine forces merely stop because Beijing wants it so?" but there are serious, earthly considerations to take into account. Now, unless a llama seeks Beijing's permission (and in effect recognizes the legality of the new law) the government will surpress any effort to find the "reincarnated" llama. Who knows how the search for the next Dalai Lama will work out with the Chinese preventing investigations for the new llama in Tibet.

With Chinese support of brutal regimes in Africa, suppression of basic freedoms at home, and other sins one wonders if there will be a significant outcry around the Olympics. The games are China's coming out party to the world, if countries threaten a boycott, maybe, just maybe reform might take place.