TEXT BY WANG GUI

Eminent monks. Photo by Ge Jialing.

In Tibetan areas, prior to the Democratic Reform (1959-1960), there were over 2,700 monasteries, and the population of monks and nuns totaled about 110,000, accounting for 10 percent of the total Tibetan population (1.2 million).

Since the Democratic Reform, the number of the monasteries has decreased to some 1,700, with 46,000 monks and nuns, only one-sixtieth of the total population (some 2.70 million).

These numbers has caused universal concern among people studying Tibet from home and abroad. Furthermore, it also has been used a pretext to campaign against "destroying Tibetan religious culture" and "infringing on human rights" by international separatist forces seeking to attack the Central Government.

As to how to handle this change, this writer will illustrate his own view and mutual discussions with people concerned with on Tibet from home and abroad.

In fact, considering the entire world, the large number of monasteries and monks and nuns in Tibet, with religious professionals accounting for such a large percentage of the total population, was abnormal.

Reciting sutras is the daily work of monks. Photo by He Yunxiao

Under the temporal and religious administration of Tibet, besides the medium and larger monasteries built through history, nobles, headmen and other powerful figures fell over each other to build a great many middle and small monasteries and Lhakang (temples) to show their piety. Generally, there were at least two monasteries in every Zong (county), Xika (manor) and at least one Lhakang in every village.

At that time, the population of Lhasa urban area totaled only some 20,000, rising o not more than 60,000 if one included the people of the western and northern suburbs and neighboring Deqing Zong (present-day DarzeCounty). However, the number of monks and nuns in three major monasteries in this area and in the other smaller monasteries and Lhakang reached some 20,000. The population in the upper and lower Yadong area totaled only 3,500, but there were five monasteries and 340 monks and nuns in the area.

There are three main reasons for this. First, people voluntary sought to become monks and nuns out of their religious belief; second, some poverty-stricken serf families could not raise their children so they sent them to monasteries or nunneries; third, people were forced into monasteries also due to the following two causes: (a.) a family with three children had to send one child to serve as a monk or nun, (b) when a monastery was built, for fear of the number of monks and nuns being inadequate, the nobles and headmen submitted a report to the Yecang, then they would force people to be monks or nuns and this boosted number of monks and nuns when the report had been approved.

During that period, monks and nuns constantly escaped secretly from monasteries to resume their secular lives, even though facing all kinds of censure and discrimination. The 10th Panchen Erdeni told Chairman Mao Zedong on January 23, 1961 that some of the lower-class monks became monks because they led a poverty-stricken life while others assumed monastic duties because of the requirement for a family with three children to give up one of them for religion. This is true with small monasteries only, and only few monks were in the case in bigger monasteries.

Monk musicians during the Buddha painting unfolding festival. Photo by Tong Gaoming

In the monasteries at that time, some monks sent from rich families could buy the title of "Qunche" and give alms in the temples so that they could free from the burden of various kinds of forced labor in the monasteries and could spend their time absorbed in study of the Tibetan language and sutras, even having the chance to enter the leadership and enjoy certain privileges in the monasteries.

Monks who came from the poor families without financial means had to shoulder all kinds of onerous labor such as carrying water (the hardest), sweeping the floor, tending horses, mowing, gathering firewood, etc. Many hardly had time to study sutras and the Tibetan language, let alone enter the leadership of the monasteries. They were often scolded and beaten, living in a grievous and wretched condition, actually slaves wrapped in a kasaya.

Regarding this, the 10th Panchen Erdeni told Chairman Mao: "Of the monks, 0mainly the middle class truly understand religion and study sutras. Few of the upper monks in monasteries study sutras actually, and the lower monks who are the slaves of the monasteries are busy with chores, having no time to study sutras, while some of them are even illiterate."

With the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951, the PLA implemented carefully the policies of ethnic equality and unity and freedom of religious belief, speaking politely, fair marketing; they also established cultural sodality of patriotic youths, all kinds of study classes and various entertainment activities. Some young monks and nuns who pursued freedom and progress as well as the monk officials of original Tibetan government were naturally attracted to join in such activities. Those who wanted to free themselves from the Bondage of being forced to serve as monks and nuns by the old feudal system could resume their secular lives of their own accord; some appealed to study in the ethnic minority colleges in the hinterland or in the Tibet Public School (called Tibet Nationalities Institute later) in Xianyang of Shanxi Province; some gradually change their beliefs voluntarily and joined the Communist Youth League or the CPC.

For example, Lobsang Qamba a young monk from the Donggar Monastery (in Upper Yadong), joined the Yadong Patriotic Youth Culture Association in 1955 and was elected president. He is still working for the CPPCC Yadong County Committee. Banjor Norbu, another young monk from the Donggar Monastery, took the initiative to go to Xianyang to study in the TibetPublic School in 1957 and later joined the CPC; he acted as Secretary of the CPC Yadong Duina District Committee over a long period.

The Potala Palace under repair. Photo by Zhang Guiying.

Xoikang Tubdain Nyima, a monk official from the original ranks of Tibetan government nobles, participated in the cultural activities of patriotic youths in Lhasa in 1953, joined the Communist Youth League and the CPC soon after, and was elected as the Communist Youth League in 1955; he was active in the work for suppressing armed rebellion. Jinzhong Gyaincain Puncog, another monk official from the riginal Tibetan government, became involved in revolutionary work, becoming a member of the CPC and working as head of Tibet Commerce Commission.

Now, he works as vice-chairman of the CPPCC Tibet Committee.

Since suppressing the armed rebellion launched by Tibetan reactionaries in 1959, and carrying out the vigorous and mighty Democratic Reform in the fanning and herding areas, the monasteries also took part in various movements to crush rebellion and end privilege and exploitation.

The poverty-stricken monks and nuns like the farmers and herders in the farming and herding areas were outraged at the exploitation and oppression by the reactionary upper echelon of monks and nuns. For example, monks from the Gandain Monastery ascertained that 63 of the 80 upper-class monks had joined the armed rebellion, compelling 2,800 from among the 4,000 common monks to join them, and organizing the siege of the Shannan Work Committee and the

PLA, even forcing 50 monks to act as a "suicide squad" of the armed rebellion forces in the Norbu Lingka after March 10, 1959.

A meeting attended by over 3,200 representatives of monks, farmers and herders belonging to the Gandain Monastery was held on August 5, 1959. Over 100 people made charges regarding the rebellious activities of reactionary monks and the brutal exploitation of exploited farmers and herders. A 13-year-old daughter of Serf Lhamo had been gang raped by six evil monks and then fell ill for several months; such stories are horrifying!

One must be shocked by the sight of shackles, anklets, staves for cruelly killing serfs as well as the instruments of torture like cutting tongues, pulling out tendons and peeling off the skin that were found in the monastery.

On August 10, under the strong appeal of the serfs, the documents and written pledges of ula corvee labor, practicing usury and indenture by which one sells oneself or a member of one's family, etc were all burnt.

After this movement, over 300 monks and nuns resumed their secular lives immediately, 13 of whom were appointed by the people's government to work or study. Furthermore, the people's government also appropriately arranged the lives of the 312 monks who were voluntary to stay in the monasteries and sent them provisions in fixed quantity, and also invested 100,000 Yuan as managing expenditure for the monastery.

This is the epitome of the experience of over 2,000 monasteries during the Democratic Reform in Tibet.

As the CPC Tibet Work Committee stipulated at that time, the monks and nuns who wished to stay in the monasteries could do so; and those who did not want to continue to be monks and nuns were able to resume their secular lives could get back home with traveling expenses provided. It was stipulated in explicit terms in the policy of the Tibet Work Committee "to abolish monasteries, the system of forcing ordinary people to become monks", and "it depends on their own will whether to remain or to leave the monasteries."

Monks with the Rewoqe Monastery in Qamdo. Photo by Degyi.

That is the fundamental reason for the great decrease in the number of Tibetmonasteries, monks and nuns during the Democratic Reform (1959-1960). This decrease is due to the personal liberation of the slaves and serfs wrapped in a kasaya, and part of the advancement of Tibetan society and an important move for protecting, guaranteeing and improving the human rights of Tibetans. It was utterly wrong to say that this was an act of "destroying Tibetan religious culture" and "infringing on human rights". It is really an infringement of human rights, and extremely immoral and totally violates the policy of freedom to believe or not believe religion, to force those monks and nuns to stay in the monasteries if they really wished to resume a secular life.

It is true that we committed mistakes of oppressing religious activities during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). But we thoroughly corrected such mistakes after having crushed the "gang of four". Through earnestly implementing the policy of religious freedom, normal religious activities in Tibethave been resumed.

Today, there are 1,700 monasteries and over 46,000 monks and nuns in the Tibetan areas, enough to meet the demand for religious activities. The people's government set up all kinds of Buddhism classes, built a Higher Institute of Buddhism in Beijingand invested a large amount of money to repair many famous monasteries and cultural relics.

Nowadays, the ratio between the number of religious professionals and the total population in Tibettends to be reasonable. The ratio of one-sixtieth of monks and nuns in the total population is relatively more reasonable than the one-tenth before the Democratic Reform. This benefits Tibet's political, economic and cultural development and progress; cultural and scientific knowledge have been further promoted among the Tibetans.