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| Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese government-appointed 11th Panchen Lama, speaks during opening ceremony of the 3rd World Buddhist Forum, Hong Kong, 4-26-12 (Kin Cheung/AP). |
HONG KONG (AP) - The Panchen Lama chosen by China but disputed by Tibetan Buddhists discussed religious philosophy Thursday [April 26, 2012] during his first appearance outside the mainland, marking greater efforts by Beijing to win acceptance of its rule over Tibet.
The Panchen Lama is Tibetan Buddhism’s second-highest spiritual leader, but followers of the exiled Dalai Lama -- the top [spiritual and former political] leader -- do not recognize China’s choice.
Beijing’s 22-year-old Panchen Lama spoke at the third World Buddhist Forum, a showcase for China’s cultural diplomacy that is attended by more than 1,000 monks, nuns, and scholars from 50 countries. His attendance is aimed at burnishing his religious credentials.
He’s almost never seen in public but has also appeared at the two previous forums, held in mainland Chinese cities in 2006 and 2009. Hong Kong is a semiautonomous region of China.
Buddhist theory is “sweet dew that ends human suffering and is a way to promote world peace,” said the religious leader, who wore a crimson robe and glasses.
He criticized “materialistic technology” in his eight-minute speech and said greed has “unbalanced the ecosystems, contaminated the environments, caused natural disasters, spread epidemics, induced wars and hence endangered all sentient beings now and in future,” according to an official translation of his speech.
The forum highlights efforts by China’s officially atheist communist government to assert control over the religion, an integral part of the restive Himalayan region’s identity. The country’s ethnic Tibetan areas... More
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