| Modernization and religion are a pair of basic problems facing Tibet since modern times,which are both contradictory and inseparable.Before the Democratic Reform,Tibet was under the rule of feudal serfdom with the integration of politics and religion.The theocracy was paramount in the whole society,closely integrated with political power.Monks at the upper level of monasteries,together with officials and nobles,constituted the "three lords",which controlled all the land and wealth in Tibet,and exercised cruel political oppression,economic exploitation and spiritual control over the vast serfdom class,which accounted for 95%of the social population.They refused to adapt to all reforms of modern civilized society and modernization development,and plunged into a dead end of feudal serfdom.Tibet’s Democratic Reform completely abolished the feudal serfdom,the feudal privileges and hierarchical exploitation of monasteries,achieved political unity,freedom of belief and separation of religion from politics,and removed the institutional obstacles to Tibet’s modernization.Since then,the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet,together with the people of the whole country,under the leadership of the Communist Party of China,have embarked on the broad road of socialism and achieved development spanning thousands of years in just a few decades,making remarkable achievements in socialist modernizationdrive.Tibetan Buddhism,which has been integrated into Tibetan culture for thousands of years and constitutes the social and historical gene of Tibetan people,has also been constantly transformed and adjusted in the drastic social change and rapid economic and social development,so as to adapt to the development of modern society and then to the socialist society.The modernization of Tibet is an irreversible process and represents the inevitable trend of the development of human civilization.Although it was initiated passively,the modernization development also had its own spontaneous factors and signs.After entering the modern era,the reform of the system of integration of politics and religion and the abolition of the feudal serfdom are the endogenous requirements of social development of Tibet.Once the feudal serfdom which integrated politics and religion was formed in history,it graduallydeveloped a super stable organizational structure and extremely stubborn ideological construction.In the aspect of religion,the essence of religious belief was tarnished by the feudal serfdom,with an obvious internal hierarchy of religion---monasterieswere turned into"black holes" to absorb social wealth,places to seek Buddhist fame and fortresses to safeguard the exploitation of feudal hierarchy.With religion as their spiritual link,the upper-class forces in old Tibet refused to adapt to all changes in the development of modern society,in a vain attempt to reverse the course of history and retain the "sacred and wonderful" feudal serfdom of political and religious unity forever.Under such circumstances,it was very difficult to carry out social reform from top to bottom relying on the self-consciousness of the reactionary upper-class in Tibet.After the peaceful liberation of Tibet,the trend of Tibet’s modernization became more obvious,and the tension between religion and modernization more prominent.It is reflected in the fact that the overt and covert struggle in the political field has never ceased,that the old Tibetan reactionary upper-class and the Tibet Working Committee of the CPC were apparently of one accord but divided in heart,and that ultimately the upper-class launched a comprehensive rebellion,failed and fled the country.Since the Democratic Reform,fundamental changes have taken place in the social nature of Tibet:the feudal serfdom integrating politics and religion has been completely abolished;monasteries have lost their political and economic privileges;there is no longer a system of hierarchical exploitation within monasteries;the people of all ethnic groups in Tibet enjoy full freedom of religious belief;the democratic and legal management of religious affairs in monasteries have been continuously promoted,and the efforts of religious governance has been deepened.Religion has been constantly adapted to socialist society and embarked on the road of democratization,legalization and institutionalization of governance..However,Tibetan religion can never be naturally adapted to socialist society.Tibetan society was born out of the old feudal serfdom,which were deeply rooted in religious growth,a long history of religious culture and integration of politics and religion.Tibetan Buddhism is still the main belief of Tibetan believers.Since modern times,Tibet has been invaded and infiltrated by imperialist forces such as Britain and the United States.Up to now,the West led by the United States often uses the so-called "Tibet issue" to interfere with China’s internal affairs and restrict China’s development.After the 14th Dalai Lama Group fled to India in March 1959,it established the so-called "government in exile" and turned it willingly to be an anti-China tool of the West.Since then,It never stopped using religion to engage in activities of separatism and sabotage of the motherland.After the Democratic Reform,the development of religious undertakings in Tibet has gone through a process from confusion to governance,from low ebb to gradual revival to normal development.Religious governance has also gone through a process from passive to active management,from policy management to rule-by-law management of religious affairs.Since the peaceful liberation of Tibet,especially since the Democratic Reform,safeguarding the reunification and territorial integrity of the nation,improving people’s livelihood,developing the economy and promoting the socialist modernization of Tibet have been the themes of the CPC’s work in Tibet.Accordingly,Religious work is subject to and serves the construction of a new socialist Tibet.The inheritance and development of religious undertakings go hand in hand with the construction of a new socialist Tibet in which millions of serfs have turned over to be masters.Moreover,the progress of civilization and prosperity of the new socialist Tibet provide a relaxed policy environment,strong governance according to law and a solid social foundation for the inheritance and development of religion in Tibet.To do a good job in religious work and speed up the modernization of the religious governance system and governancecapacity is of great and realistic significance for maintaining stability,promoting religious,social and ethnic harmony,and realizing long-term stability and high-quality development in Tibet.This paper attempts to systematically elaborate the religious work in contemporary Tibet from the perspective of the development of Tibet’s modernization and the adaptation of religion to socialist society;to understand and treat the inheritance and development of Tibetan Buddhism from the perspective of history and reality;and to investigate and explore ways and measures to strengthen and improve religious governance in Tibet from the perspective of accelerating the modernization of Tibetan religious governance system and governance capacity.This paper is divided into five parts and seven chapters:The introduction section gives a general description of the background issues related to the study of religious governance in Tibet.This part expounds the background and significance of the research,analyses its current situation,summarizes the relevant literature,clarifies the research contents and methods,and outlines the research ideas,innovations and difficulties.Religion plays an important role in Tibet,where most peopletraditionally believe in Tibetan Buddhism.The governance of religion is related to the harmony,stability and long-term development of Tibet,the inheritance and development of Tibetan Buddhism itself,as well as the implementation and future of Tibet’s socialist modernization.Being responsive to the requirements of the time and well targeted,the topic of this paper has a certain degree of practical significance.The research object focuses on the Tibetan religious work of the CPC,and the research methods mainly adopt the integration of history and reality,and the combination of theory and practice.The first to fourth chapters constitute the second part of the paper.This part generally expounds the status and role of religion in the history and society of Tibet,the relationship between Tibet’s modernization and religious governance,the policies and their effects of successive central governments in governing Tibet’s religion,and the CPC’s thorough reform and governance of Tibet’s religious institution.Religion has penetrated into all aspects of the ideology,spiritual endeavor,politics,culture,economy,and social life of Tibetan people.Its inheritance and development has directly affected and shaped the unique Tibetan history and culture,hence making a deep mark on the development and future of Tibet.There is tension between religion and the development of modernization,which is an important issue that must be faced and handled well in the process of Tibet’s modernization.The modernization of religious governance system and governance capacity focuses on building a modern governance system and improving governance capacity in Tibet.Tibet’s religious governance has a historical continuity.We can sort out the context and draw useful experiences from the history and policies of the successive central governments’governing practice.We can also learn from history,cherish the present,face up to the future and do a better job in Tibet’s governance.To strengthen religious governance in Tibet,we must seriouslystudy the party’s religious work since the peaceful liberation of Tibet and have a systematic and correct understanding of the party’s religious work in Tibet.The fifth to sixth chapters constitute the third part of the paper,in which the theoretical guidance and practical exploration of religious governance in Tibet are discussed.Over the past 70 years since the peaceful liberation of Tibet,under the correct guidance of Marxist religious theory,the CPC has earnestly implemented the party’s principles and policies on religious work.It has continuously improved its understanding,deepened its practice and made innovations in its work,achieving fruitful theoretical,practical and institutional achievements and accumulating valuable experiences.Based on the practical exploration,the positive results are mainly reflected in the reform and governance of the monastery management system in Tibet,the reincarnation management of living Buddha of Tibetan Buddhism in response to major political struggles,the team construction of Tibetan Buddhist representatives in the progress of the times,the educational inheritance of Tibetan Buddhism in the religious teaching reform,and the social religious governance in the perspective of mass work.Monastery management is the focal point to maintain social stability in Tibet.Before the Democratic Reform in 1959,monasteries in Tibet were not only places for monks to learn scriptures,seek spirituality and engage in religious activities,but also the concentrated embodiment of the feudal serfdom and class exploitation in the religious field.The Democratic Reform of monasteries is an essential part of the Democratic Reform in Tibet,through which the nature of monasteries has fundamentally changed,and the management of monasteries has gradually become democratized and legalized.Over the past 60 years afterDemocratic Reform,the management of monasteries under socialist conditions has been a process of unremitting exploration,from abolishing the feudal privilege and hierarchical exploitation system to democratic management,from democratic management to management according to law,democratic management and socialized management,hence strengthening and innovating monasterymanagement,and exploring different modes such as leading management,participating management and assisting management.Profound changes have taken place in the monastery management system,and a pattern of democratization,rule of law and institutionalized governance has been formed.Reincarnation of living Buddha is a unique tradition of Tibetan Buddhism,a special system adopted by Tibetan Buddhist monasteries to solve the problem ofleaders’succession.In modern society,the role and status of living Buddhas,their social activities and the way in which they play their role have changed to a certain extent,but the faith of Tibetan believers in living Buddhas is still deep-rooted.The 14th Dalai Lama just used his identity as the"Great Living Buddha" of Tibetan Buddhism to compete with the central government for living Buddhas,monasteries and the masses under the banner of ethnic religion,in an attempt to wreak havoc in Tibet,create religious chaos and achieve its separatistscheme.As the 14th Dalai Lama enters his twilight years,we are facing a major political struggle over his death and reincarnation.We should earnestly strengthen the publicity of the historical institutionalization of the reincarnation of living Buddhas and its policies and regulations,so as to achieve full coverage of the whole society.As a key link in the governance of Tibetan Buddhism,we should manage well the reincarnation of living Buddhas according to law and regulations,strengthen the education,cultivation and management of reincarnated living Buddhas,and resolutely resist the 14th Dalai Lama and the Dalai clique from using the reincarnation of living Buddhas to engage in infiltration and sabotage activities.Strengthening the team construction of religious representatives is not only a fundamental project to promote the healthy inheritance and sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism,but also a strategic project to deal with the major political struggle against the death and reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama,resolutely to oppose separatism and safeguard national solidarity and ethnic harmony.In the early stage of peaceful liberation,the team of religious representatives was formed under the party’s policy of unity and struggle.After putting down the rebellion and implementing the Democratic Reform,the team became an important force for Tibet to take the socialist road.The era of Reform and Opening-up opened a new period for the team construction of religious representatives,and after "a turning point",it gradually entered the track of standardized management.Since the 18th CPC National Congress,the work has been strengthened in an all-round way.The team building of Tibetan Buddhist representatives in the new era should follow the requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s instruction on the "Four Standards" for the team building of religious talents,and the key points of the work are as follows:adhering to the party’s leadership as the fundamental guarantee,complying with the "Four Standards" as the gripping device of "Guidance",taking the implementation of the "234"Training Project as the focus of work and the establishment of a long-term mechanism as the target,regarding effectiveness as the core requirement,placing the Buddhist Association Organization as the important position,paying close attention to training with priority,talent discovery and quality improvement,and striving to cultivatemodern monks who are both patriotic and religious,diligent and consistent,following religious precepts and abiding bylaws,and living up to the expectation of the society when needed.Tibetan Buddhism attaches great importance to classiceducation of Buddhist scriptures and has formed a complete monastery education system in history,with fixed teaching contents,unique teaching methods,strict examination and sophisticated degree system.Since the Democratic Reform,especially since the Reform and Opening-up,the traditional monastery education of Tibetan Buddhism has been gradually restored on the basis of abolishing the non-religious content of the integration of politics and religion of feudal serfdom which focused on the official selection.At the same time,with interference from the 14th Dalai clique,the transformation of traditional monastery education to the modern mode is confronted with difficulties.The management of monasteryscripture classes stillfaces many problems.For instance,after the restoration of the Great Prayer Festival in Lhasa and the degree examination of Lharamspa Geshe,they were forced to break offdue to unfavorable circumstances,whichlater came to normalization.The establishment,construction and development of the Tibet BuddhismAcademy and the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China have created conditions for carrying out religious reform,building a modern education system of Tibetan Buddhism,promoting the transformation of traditional school educationto modern academic education,and accelerating the cultivation of Tibetan Buddhist talents.Religious work at social level is an important aspect to which much importanceshould be attached.The work mainly includes the management of floating personnel engaged in folk religious services,the approval and management of mass religious activities,reducing the religious burden of believers and preventing the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to the mainland,and etc.Floating personnel engaged in religious services are a special group that provides services for grass-root believers outsideplaces of religious activities.This group has the features of a large population,wide distribution,complex components and holding frequent activities.It directly serves believers and has a close relationship with them.With the continuous development of economy and society and the deepening of social governance,this group presents some new trends and characteristics,which have become an important aspect of religious governance.It is a very urgent work to comprehensively master the activity pattern and service features of this group in the new era,then to make scientific classification,to implement comprehensive policies and strengthen the management.It puts forward a new topic for improving the religious governance system and governance capability.Tibet has a strong religious atmosphere and a large number of mass religious activities.Our main task is to reduce the negative impact of religion,so we should adhere to the principles of management by different levels,localized management,classified guidance and adjusting measures to local conditions,strengthen management,provide effective guidance and good services,and ensure safety,so as to prevent "religious fever"caused by religious activities,external and underground risks and hidden dangers,and especially extreme behaviors such as self-immolation,self-mutilation,violent and terrorist activities,and major safety accidents such as crowding,stampede and fire disasters.The nature of religious work is mass work.We should earnestly strengthen the education and guidance of religious believers.We should focus on reducing the religious burden of believers and the negative impact of religion,educate and guide the majority of believers to be rational in religious affairs,to be grateful for what the party has done for the people,to listen to what the party says,to follow the party,and to make a happy life in this life.The spread of Tibetan Buddhism has had an impact on thetraditional religious pattern in the mainland,presented more challenge to the management of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries,and provided opportunities for the Dalai clique to use religion to infiltrate.We must observe the smallest clues,take preventive measures,implement comprehensive policies and strict control,strengthen the budget management of monasteries,severely crack down on the transmission of funds to the Dalaiclique,standardize the management of religious activities on the internet,strengthen publicity and guidance,publicize typical cases and put the negative impact under control to the greatest extent.The last chapter,promoting the modernization of religious governance in Tibet,constitutes the fourth part of the paper.Based on the contents of the first to sixth chapters,this chapter further analyzes the changing trends,problems and challenges in the field of religion in Tibet at the present stage,comprehensively examines and systematically expounds the religious governance in the process of Tibet’s modernization,then puts forward the practical route to promote the modernization of religious governance,and summarizes the achievements and experiences of the work of Tibetan Buddhism in the past 70 years.The modernization of Tibet’s governance is an important part of the modernization of national governance.This task correspondingly requires that the governance of Tibet’s religious field should also adapt to the changes of the time and the general process of national modernization,and develop in the direction of modernization in the governance system and governance capacity.To promote the modernization of religious governance in Tibet,we should conscientiously implement the spirit of the Seventh Central Symposium on Tibet Work and the General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech delivered during his inspection in Tibet,guided by Xi Jinping’s Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era and the important expositions on administering border areas and stabilizing Tibet and on religious work by the General Secretary Xi Jinping.We will fully implement the party’s general plan for governing Tibet and the fundamental principles for religious work in the new era,adhere to the direction of sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism,adhere to the method of "guidance" in ideological work,adhere to the standard of "five benefits",effectively strengthen the party’s centralized and unified leadership over religious work,actively build a modern system of religious governance,comprehensively improve the capacity of its modernization,firmly grasp its initiative,strive to promote religious harmony,social harmony and ethnic harmony,and promote the healthy inheritance of Tibetan Buddhism and its adaptation to the socialist society.The conclusion section is the last part of the whole paper.It briefly summarizes the objective,foundation,emphasis,key points,methods,requirements and essential guarantee of religious governance in Tibet,and points out some relative issuesthat need to be further studied. |
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