Tibet is not merely a political issue—it is a living culture under siege. China’s interference in Tibetan Buddhism, exemplified by its installation of a state-sanctioned Panchen Lama and the distortion of sacred ceremonies for political gain, is a deliberate act of cultural genocide.
-By Rahul Sinha for Zee News
In the shadow of the Himalayas, a centuries-old spiritual tradition is being systematically dismantled under the heavy hand of the Chinese Communist Party. Under the banner of “ethnic unity” and “national rejuvenation,” Beijing is waging a quiet war against Tibetan Buddhism not with tanks, but through political manipulation, religious interference, and cultural erasure. Now, with the announcement that Gyaltsen Norbu the Chinese-appointed “Panchen Lama”, will conduct the sacred Kalachakra empowerment at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in 2025, the CCP is taking yet another calculated step to co-opt and re-engineer a deeply spiritual ritual for propaganda purposes. This is not religious reverence; it is state theatre, staged by an atheist regime that has abducted the rightful Panchen Lama, suppressed Tibetan identity, and repackaged faith as a tool of ideological control. What’s unfolding in Tibet is not just a violation of religious freedom; it is a cultural crisis that demands urgent global attention.
The appointment of Gyaltsen Norbu itself is a glaring symbol of political interference in Tibetan religion. In 1995, just three days after the 14th Dalai Lama publicly recognised a six-year-old Tibetan boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, as the 11th Panchen Lama, the child was abducted by Chinese authorities along with his family. He has not been seen in public since, making him one of the world’s longest-held political prisoners. In place of the rightful Panchen Lama, China imposed its own candidate selected not by spiritual means but by Communist decree. Gyaltsen Norbu, controlled and groomed by the Party’s United Front Work Department, is paraded through Tibet under heavy surveillance, tasked not with serving the spiritual needs of the people, but with spreading Party loyalty.
Beijing’s insistence on controlling religious figures exposes its broader campaign of Sinicisation, the forced assimilation of Tibetan identity into the dominant Han Chinese culture and Communist ideology. Under the guise of national unity, monasteries are required to display images of Chinese leaders in place of spiritual icons. Monks and nuns are subjected to “patriotic education,” and Tibetan sacred texts are increasingly translated into Mandarin to erode native language and identity. Even children are not spared; many are separated from their families and placed in state-run boarding schools, cutting them off from their cultural and religious roots.
The sacred Kalachakra empowerment, traditionally conferred by respected lamas to guide followers on the path to enlightenment, is now being twisted into a tool of propaganda. The upcoming event, staged by the Party-appointed Panchen Lama, is explicitly dedicated to the “prosperity of the Communist Party” and the “unity of the Chinese nation.”
This is not the first time the ritual has been misused. In 2016, a similar Kalachakra was held under heavy state orchestration, with Tibetans coerced or paid to attend. Chinese media declared it the most significant Kalachakra in 60 years and claimed miraculous signs like rainbows and divine clouds appeared in fabricated narratives to lend spiritual legitimacy to a leader Tibetans overwhelmingly reject.
To reinforce its control, the Chinese government manipulates religious history, citing the imperial-era Golden Urn system, a Qing dynasty lottery method, as justification for choosing reincarnated lamas, a move that grossly distorts Tibetan spiritual traditions. This is not religious governance; it is a regime attempting to replace sacred beliefs with state-sanctioned theatre.
Meanwhile, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the true 11th Panchen Lama, remains disappeared for nearly three decades. Despite global outcry and repeated demands for proof of his well-being, China offers only unverifiable claims that he is “a college graduate living a normal life,” refusing to allow independent access or verification. His continued disappearance is not only a humanitarian tragedy—it is a permanent stain on China’s global human rights record.
The CCP’s attempt to dominate Tibetan Buddhism does not stop with the Panchen Lama. China has made clear it intends to select the next Dalai Lama as well, openly rejecting centuries of Tibetan religious practice and the Dalai Lama’s own stated wish to choose his successor freely, likely in exile. This preemptive hijacking of spiritual leadership is Beijing’s calculated effort to eliminate future resistance and extinguish the Tibetan cause from within.
Behind the veil of “ethnic unity” and “national harmony” lies a brutal campaign of cultural destruction. Tibetan language, dress, customs and faith are being systematically dismantled. Monasteries like Tashi Lhunpo are no longer sanctuaries of spiritual learning but state-controlled outposts where silence is enforced, devotion is policed, and religious observance is reduced to hollow ceremony in service of the Communist Party. Even during religious events, Tibetans face heavy surveillance, arbitrary bans and strict behavioural codes issued by Party authorities.
The international community has not remained silent. Governments, human rights organisations and Tibetan exile institutions have repeatedly condemned China’s religious persecution, the continued abduction of the Panchen Lama and the criminalisation of Tibetan cultural expression. Yet Beijing continues to ignore these calls, confident in its ability to repress and rewrite the Tibetan narrative through coercion, propaganda and brute force.
Tibet is not merely a political issue—it is a living culture under siege. China’s interference in Tibetan Buddhism, exemplified by its installation of a state-sanctioned Panchen Lama and the distortion of sacred ceremonies for political gain, is a deliberate act of cultural genocide. It is an attack not just on a people, but on their identity, faith, and history. The world must not look away. The truth of Tibet’s struggle must be spoken, and those responsible for its continued oppression must be held accountable—not tomorrow, but now.
Read the original report on Zee News here.
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