China Restricts Religious Debate Event For Tibetan Monks

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Chinese government authorities in a Tibetan-populated county of Sichuan province have shortened the duration of a key weeklong debate on Buddhist philosophy and reduced the number of monks who could attend the event, Tibetans with knowledge of the situation said.

The annual Dhokham Jang Gunchoe, or Great Winter Debate Session, is a longstanding tradition of Tibet’s three monastic universities — Drepung, Gaden and Sera — and traditionally occurs in the eleventh month of the Tibetan calendar. It draws thousands of monks fromother Buddhist monasteries and colleges.

The event began on June 19 at Za Bhum Nyingma Monastery under tight restrictions in Sershul county in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the province’s northwest.

Authorities shortened the two-week event, which enjoys popularity across Tibetan-populated regions, to one week and cut the number of monastic attendees to 3,200 from about 7,000, said one Tibetan source, who like others in the report declined to be named.

The restrictions are yet another example of how China has sought to control and limit religious activities in Tibet because authorities see Tibetan Buddhism as a threat to the sovereignty of the Chinese political state.

They also have set up police stations in or near monasteries, subjected monks and nuns to “patriotic re-education,” and kicked Buddhist clergy members out of Buddhist institutes.

During the session, armed police were stationed at the Zabum Nyingma Monastery and patrolled the surrounding mountains, while lay people visiting the monastery were held up at checkpoints, said the sources from inside and outside Tibet.

Authorities also scrutinized monks and nuns attending the event to ensure they were free of political affiliations, they said.

Because local authorities suddenly halted arrangements for Dhokham Jang Gunchoe in 2023, the monastery and its supporters petitioned provincial authorities for permission to hold the session this year, said one of the sources.

They received permission, but authorities reduced the duration and the number of participants, citing security concerns, he said.