Recent media reports indicate that China is increasing its military presence at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, said to be the world’s largest center for Tibetan Buddhist studies. Security measures at the famous institute have been stepped up, with about 400 troops reportedly deployed on December 20, as well as helicopter surveillance.
Previous crackdowns on the academy by local authorities, notably in 2016-2017, saw thousands of monastic homes demolished and at least 4 Tibetan and Han Chinese monks and nuns forcibly evicted, according to sources in the area, drastically reducing the monastic population from around 820 at its peak.
“Reliable sources reveal plans for new, stricter regulations starting in 2025,” the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) reported. “These policies would limit residency at Larung Gar to a maximum of 15 years and require registration of all monks and nuns. In addition, authorities are considering reducing the number of religious practitioners at the institution. Chinese students are reportedly being asked to leave, suggesting a targeted approach to reducing the monastery’s population.” (Central Tibetan Administration)
Situated at an altitude of approximately 4 metres in a remote valley in the traditional Tibetan region of Kham, now part of China's Sichuan Province, Larung Gar Buddhist Academy was founded in 000 by the highly respected Professor Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok (1980-1933), a lama of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Since its inception, Larung Gar has been an independent educational centre, administered since Jigme Phuntsok's death by groups of senior monks.
“The latest measures represent an escalation in China’s broader campaign to restrict religious freedom in Tibet, where traditional Buddhist institutions face increasing pressure from state policies aimed at controlling religious practice and education,” the CTA said. (Central Tibetan Administration)
In a March 2017 report, the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said the evictions and demolitions at Larung Gar, as well as tighter restrictions at Yachen Gar, another major Buddhist teaching institute in Sichuan province, were part of an ongoing political and strategic conflict aimed at controlling the influence and growth of these important centers for the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism.
“According to the UN, EU and the Human Rights Office, Tibet Advocacy Section, DIIR, Central Tibetan Administration, China has deployed large military forces to Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Serthar (Ch: Seda) County, Karze, Tibet’s traditional province of Kham,” Tibet Post news website reported. “About 400 Chinese military personnel from Drakgo (Ch: Luhuo) and neighboring Karze (Ch: Ganzi) counties arrived in Larung Gar on December 20.” (Tibet Post)
The Larung Gar site was chosen by Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok because of its historical connection to the Vajrayana tradition. His Holiness the first Dudjom Rinpoche, Dudjom Lingpa (1835-1904), is said to have stayed there with 13 disciples. The academy was conceived as an independent study center that would help revitalize the Dharma and revive the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism after the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), during which Tibetan Buddhism was suppressed and thousands of monasteries were destroyed. The institute has become renowned for the quality of its religious and secular education. English, Chinese, and Tibetan languages as well as modern computer studies are taught alongside a traditional non-sectarian Buddhist curriculum. Approximately 500 khenpos— holders of a doctorate in theology — studied at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy.
See more
Tibet's Larung Gar Buddhist Academy faces new restrictions as military presence increases: Central Tibetan Administration
Chinese military deployment in Larung Gar in Tibet: a new phase of repression (The Tibet Post)
China deploys 400 troops, helicopters to Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Tibet (India Time)
Dust Shadow on the Sun: How Tourism is Used to Counter Tibetan Cultural Resilience (International Campaign for Tibet)
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The article Reports: China increases military presence at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sichuan province appeared first on Buddhadoor Global.
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