REINCARNATE LAMA DISCUSSES GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001065

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2032
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF CH
SUBJECT: REINCARNATE LAMA DISCUSSES GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR
SELECTION OF THE NEXT DALAI LAMA


Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief Susan Thornton.
Reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) Summary: According to a well-respected reincarnate
lama from Gansu Province, the Chinese government has a
secret plan to select the next reincarnation of the Dalai

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Lama, but cautioned that people would not respect a
Government choice. The Rinpoche said the Chinese
Government appears to be waiting for the Dalai Lama to pass
away, due to the mistaken notion that the "Tibet issue"
will then disappear. The Rinpoche said he appreciated the
United States' consistent advocacy for human rights in
Tibet. While he lamented the Government's lack of
enforcement of rights guaranteed in China's constitution,
he was optimistic democracy would eventually grow in China.
Comment: Dorshi Rinpoche, who was open in expressing his
opinions about the selection of the next Dalai Lama, has
clearly managed to walk a fine political line, earning
tolerance from the Government and the devotion of local
Tibetan Buddhists. End Summary and Comment.


2. (C) On a February 5-8 joint Chengdu-Beijing reporting
trip to Gansu Province, Congenoff met privately in the
capital city of Lanzhou with Dorshi Rinpoche (strictly
protect),a reincarnate lama and Abbot of Tiantang
Monastery in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County. Dorshi
Rinpoche (71 years old) is also a Professor of Tibetan
literature, philosophy and Tibetan Buddhism at Lanzhou's
Northwest National Minorities University. He is one of the
most highly respected religious figures in Gansu Province
and has many Han and Tibetan religious students.

The Next Dalai Lama
--------------


3. (C) Asked about the Chinese Government's plans for the
selection of the next Dalai Lama, Dorshi Rinpoche said that
the Government had a plan, but that it was a secret
internal matter. He asserted that if the Government
identifies a reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan
people would not respect the choice. Dorshi Rinpoche
commented that the selection process is a "matter of faith
for ordinary people, not a matter of politics." People
would see a government selection only as a political
"Beijing Dalai Lama," not a "Tibetan Dalai Lama."


4. (C) Dorshi Rinpoche likened such a scenario to
Beijing's selection of the Panchen Lama. He explained that
according to Buddhist tradition, the Dalai Lama and the
Panchen Lama identify each other, and that historically,
there is no governmental role in the process. Tibetan
people verbally show respect for "Beijing's Panchen," he
stated, but Beijing's Panchen "will never win people,s
hearts -- he will never be the spiritual leader of the
Tibetan people."


5. (C) When asked about the discussions between the
Chinese Government and representatives of the Dalai Lama,
Dorshi Rinpoche was decidedly downbeat. The Dalai Lama is
not asking for independence, but only real autonomy under
the Chinese constitution, Dorshi stated. The majority of
Chinese people, however, are unaware of what the Dalai Lama
is advocating because such information is not publicly
available. The Chinese government leads people to believe
the Dalai Lama is calling for independence, he said.
Dorshi Rinpoche said the Chinese Government appears to be
waiting for the Dalai Lama to pass away. The Government
believes that after the Dalai Lama dies, the "Tibet problem
will go away." That view, however, is oversimplified.
Tibet is not merely an issue of the Dalai Lama, he said,
noting that "Tibetan politics will continue to exist."


6. (C) The Chinese Government should take advantage of the
time before the Dalai Lama dies to address the Tibetan
issue, according to Dorshi Rinpoche. The Dalai Lama
represents the thoughts and ideas of many Tibetans and has
the ability to influence their behavior. Tibetans inside
China listen to the Dalai Lama. For example, when the
Dalai Lama asked Tibetans to stop wearing wild animal
skins, they immediately took action. There are many
student groups outside of China, such as the Tibetan Youth
Congress, who may resort to violence after the Dalai Lama
passes away, Dorshi Rinpoche said.

Human Rights, Religious Freedom
--------------


7. (C) Turning to the subject of human rights, Congenoff
asked if the Rinpoche had heard about the case of the
shooting at the Nagpa La border crossing to Nepal in
September 2006 in which a Tibetan nun was killed. He

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claimed not to have heard of the case, was visibly
disturbed and became quiet for several minutes. Dorshi
Rinpoche said the United States was one of the only
countries that still cared about advocating for human
rights and religious freedom in China.


8. (C) The Rinpoche stated that China should follow its
own constitution. The Government says one thing in
international fora, but then does another. China claims
human rights protections in its constitution, but does not
enforce the law. He gave an example of a Han Chinese
freelance writer who recently went to Lhasa and asked if
there was religious freedom in Tibet. Ordinary Tibetans
told the writer that "religious freedom" was a show for
foreigners. The Rinpoche added that Wang Lixiong, writer
and husband of the well-known Tibetan writer Oser, writes
articles critical of China's Tibet policy. Dorshi said
such writings are important to encourage reflection on
China's Tibet problem.


9. (C) Dorshi Rinpoche told Congenoff he had downloaded
and reflected on the speech President Bush gave at Tsinghua
University in 2002 in which he said a nation could not
survive without religious faith. He said he agreed with
the message that faith could play a constructive role in
society. When asked if a majority of Chinese agreed with
this view, the Rinpoche replied affirmatively. People know
religion is important and that is why there are so many
Buddhists in inland China. He asserted there might even be
more Han Chinese Buddhists than Tibetan Buddhists. This
includes Chinese who are government officials, military and
business people. He said in public they talk about
Leninism and Marxism, but in their homes, they have statues
and scriptures and practice Buddhism. Dorshi Rinpoche
added that he had many Han students. Many are interested
in learning about Buddhism's role in enterprise
development, including treatment of one's workers, he said.


10. (C) In spite of his concerns about rights protection,
Dorshi Rinpoche said he was optimistic about the future of
democracy in China. He said that while China currently
only has village level elections, it will eventually move
toward broader representation. When China has provincial-
level elections, he asserted, then China will have true
democracy. The growth of democracy is inevitable, Dorshi
Rinpoche said, and "the government cannot stop it -- 1.3
billion people have 1.3 billion ideas."

TAR Leadership
--------------


11. (C) When queried on the politics of the current
leadership of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and Party
Secretary Zhang Qingli, Dorshi Rinpoche said the TAR

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leaders are not decision makers, they only implement what
the central government tells them to do. He did not credit
TAR officials for creative thinking, noting that they are
"dogmatic" and only carry out central policy without
analyzing it. The Rinpoche mentioned the recent ban on
participation in the December Gaden Ngachoe religious
festival in Lhasa, saying it was a violation of everyone,s
constitutional rights.

Monastic Education
--------------


12. (C) Turning to the subject of monastic education,
Dorshi Rinpoche commented that most monks are not able to
get a high quality religious education. He cited Labrang
Monastery as an exception to this rule, noting that it was
able to restore traditional religious education in 1982.
The Geshe exam, the highest degree in Tibetan Buddhism,
does not test the same level of knowledge it once did, he
stated. In terms of political education for monks, the
Rinpoche explained that there are two types of situations.
In the TAR, Democratic Management Committee (DMC) members
are sent by the government and include representatives of
the Public Security and National Security Bureaus who carry
out numerous political education activities. Outside the
TAR, such as in Labrang Monastery in Gansu Province, DMC
members are only monks and not government officials, so
there are considerably fewer political activities, although
the monks are still required to conduct political classes.

Comment
--------------


13. (C) Dorshi Rinpoche is one of the most well respected
religious figures in Gansu Province. As evidenced by his
academic position as well as his connections with large
numbers of Han Chinese Buddhists, he has managed to walk a

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fine political line and earn tolerance from the government
while maintaining the devotion of local Tibetans. The
Rinpoche's willingness to offer candid comments on
sensitive subjects likely reflects both the less
constrained atmosphere in Lanzhou and the Rinpoche's
confidence in his personal standing with local authorities.



SEDNEY