Recent media reports indicate that more than a thousand male and female Tibetan monastic have been expelled from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, reputed to be the largest center of Tibetan Buddhist study in the world, located in Serthar County, Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China’s Sichuan Province. The move by state authorities comes as security measures were heightened late last year, with an estimated 400 troops reported to have been deployed to the area on 20 December, along with helicopter surveillance.
Citing “sources inside Tibet with knowledge of the situation,” the RFA news website has reported that state officials had said “they need to reduce the number of Buddhist clergy residing at the academy from 6,000 to 5,000,” because of “a lack of proper residency documentation.” (RFA)
Previous crackdowns on the academy by the local authorities, notably in 2016–17, saw thousands of monastic dwellings demolished and at least 4,820 Tibetan and Han Chinese monks and nuns forcibly evicted, according to sources in the region, dramatically reducing the monastic population from in excess of 10,000 at its height.
In recent months, state officials are reported to have pressured hundreds of Buddhist monastics to leave voluntarily, with unnamed sources saying: “Those expelled have been ordered to leave under the pretext of lacking proper residency documents. . . . And to avoid drawing public attention, more than 1,000 monks and nuns have been gradually forced out over the past month.” (RFA)
The source added that government officials had been stationed inside the academy, imposing controls on the movement of resident monastics, as well as pilgrims and tourists: “They are strictly prohibited from taking photos freely and are only allowed to visit designated areas within the monastery.” (RFA)
Situated some 4,000 meters above sea level in a remote valley in the traditional Tibetan region of Kham, now part of China’s Sichuan Province, Larung Gar Buddhist Academy was founded in 1980 by the highly respected teacher Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok (1933–2004), a lama of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Since its inception, Larung Gar has been an independent center of education, administered since Jigme Phuntsok’s death by groups of senior monks.
The Tibet News website cited a Tibetan nun, who was among those expelled from the Buddhist academy as saying: “After a series of investigations carried out by the Chinese government officials and the Serta County Police, we were issued directives that the 1,000 of us were not allowed to reside in the monastery and must be exited.” (Tibet News)
The same report noted that another unidentified source had said the authorities were assessing whether to demolish monastic residences under the pretext of enabling the construction of a highway in Larung Gar in April.
In a March 2017 report, the Washington, DC-based International Campaign for Tibet said that expulsions and demolitions at Larung Gar, along with stiffer restrictions at Yachen Gar, another large Buddhist institute of learning in Sichuan Province, were part of an unfolding political strategy aimed at controlling the influence and growth of these important centers for Tibetan Buddhist study and practice.
A recent report on the Free Tibet website, citing the Tibet Watch advocacy group, stated that “demolitions [at Larung Gar] began in late November and continued into December. Unlike previous demolitions in 2016 and 2017, photos and videos have yet to emerge, with tight restrictions on the site and even mentions of it on social media.” (Free Tibet)
Free Tibet cited an anonymous source as saying: “According to the previous [government] directive limiting the number of monks and nuns at Larung Gar to 5,000, if a monastic quarter belonged to someone who had passed away, their siblings could continue living there if they had proper official documentation. However, those who were not siblings of the deceased, and especially those without government permit documentation, were not allowed to stay even in vacant quarters of the deceased. Most of the monks and nuns who were recently expelled were those who had come to study after the mass expulsions that took place in 2016 and 2017, when thousands of students were forcefully expelled.” (Free Tibet)
The site of Larung Gar was chosen by Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok because of its historical connection to the Vajrayana tradition. It is said that His Holiness the first Dudjom Rinpoche, Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904) stayed here with 13 disciples. The academy was conceived as an independent center of study that would help revitalize the Dharma and revive the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism following China’s Cultural Revolution (1966–76), during which Tibetan Buddhism was suppressed and thousands of monasteries were destroyed. The institute has become renowned for the quality of both its religious and secular education. English, Chinese, and Tibetan languages and modern computer studies are taught alongside a traditional non-sectarian Buddhist curriculum. About 500 khenpos—holders of doctoral degrees in divinity—have studied at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy.
See more
China expels 1,000 monks and nuns from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy (RFA)
Chinese Authorities Forcefully Expel 1,000 Monks and Nuns From Larung Gar. (Tibet Times)
Further Details Emerge of Evictions at Larung Gar (Free Tibet)
Thousands of monks, nuns expelled as China intensifies crackdown at Larung Gar (Phayul)
Update: China has expelled over 1,000 monastics from biggest centre for Tibetan Buddhist study (Tibetan Review)
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Reports: China Bolstering Military Presence at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sichuan Province
China Appoints Communist Party Officials to Manage Larung Gar Buddhist Academy
Senior Abbot at Larung Gar Says Evictions Almost Complete; Demolition Target Reduced
China Official Says Rebuilding Underway at Larung Gar, 800 Resettled
Demolition Work at Larung Gar Halted as Winter Closes In
State Authorities Cancel Annual Buddhist Ceremony at Larung Gar Institute
Government Workers Begin Demolishing Buildings at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy
Chinese Authorities Plan Major Reduction of Monastic Population at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy
New Images Reveal Extent of Demolitions at Yarchen Gar Buddhist Monastery
Mass Evictions Reported at Yarchen Gar Buddhist Monastery in China’s Sichuan Province
Reports of Residential Demolitions at Yarchen Gar Monastic Community in China
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Welcoming Voices from Larung Gar
The Wonders of Kham and Larung Gar
The Wonders of Kham and Larung Gar, Part Two
