Fraudulent Buddhas face online scrutiny
Print Edition
China launched an online system yesterday to check the authenticity of living Tibetan Buddhas, as a growing number of fraud artists are swindling believers out of cash.
The inquiry system can be found at the official website of the State Administration for Religious Affairs: www.sara.gov.cn, and www.tibet.cn.
The first group of 870 verified living Buddhas was published yesterday.
It is the first time information on the country’s religious leaders has been made accessible via the Internet.
“As a living Buddha, I feel genuinely happy about it,” said the 7th Drukhang living Buddha Drukhang Thubten Khedrup, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, at the launch ceremony.
He said it is an effort to promote transparency at the association and regulate reincarnation issues for living Buddhas.
The system was put in place to counter fake living Buddhas who have been defrauding believers and tainting the reputation of living Buddhas and Tibetan Buddhism.
One of the most renowned cases involved Wu Darong, who pretended to be a living Buddha and was worshipped by the famous Chinese artist Zhang Tielin. Wu was later exposed as a fake.
The BAC said the verification system, which can be used on both computers and mobile phones, provides detailed, accurate information on living Buddhas, including name, date of birth, monastic title, and monastery of residence.
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