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Within the cloisters of the Kirti Monastery, the largest monastery of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism in Aba County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, monks in burgundy robes do their daily chores and devotees from nearby villages perform various rites in worship of the Buddha on a sunny winter morning in early December.
It seems that this temple is no different from any other in Sichuan’s Tibetaninhabited areas. But monks of the Kirti Monastery have been involved in over 22 incidents of self-immolation in Aba over the past three years.
Lacking evidence, police had been unable to prove any connection between the rash of self-immolations until a recent breakthrough pointed to a pattern of instigation by a monk and his nephew, announced the Sichuan police on December 9.
The 40-year-old Lorang Konchok is accused of having incited eight people to set themselves on fire since 2009. Three of the victims died. He also recruited Lorang Tsering, his 31-year-old nephew, to help instigate the immolations, according to a police statement.
Cruel instigators
Police started their investigation after a series of self-immolations took place in Aba in August. They detained Lorang Konchok on August 13 and Lorang Tsering on August 15.
Lorang Konchok, born in Aba and ordained at the Kirti Monastery in 1972, was an influential senior monk before his arrest. He confessed to inciting the self-immolation during detention.
After a Kirti monk named Tapey lit himself aflame in February 2009, police said that Lorang Konchok was contacted by Doan and Samten, two media liaisons of the Dalai Lama group’s “Tibet independence” organization based in north India.
Doan was a Kirti monk in Aba. He snuck into India many years ago and is now the assistant of an exiled Kirti tulku who left for India with the Dalai Lama in 1959 and is a key member of the Dalai Lama group. He also has an affinity with Lorang Konchok.
Samten, 31, once studied Buddhist doctrine with Lorang Konchok in China. In 2000, Samten illegally fled across the border into India.
Lorang Konchok said that Doan and Samten told him to look for people willing to set themselves on fire and send back information so that they could pressure the Chinese Government by sending startling pictures to overseas media organizations.
Following secret overseas orders, Lorang Konchok took advantage of his position and influence in the monastery and encouraged young monks and followers to self-immolate, advocating that it did not violate Buddhist doctrines and those who did so were “heroes.” Lorang Konchok said that he also prom- ised to spread information and pictures abroad so victims and their families would be acknowledged and honored.
Later, Lorang Konchok persuaded his nephew to help. Lorang Tsering was previously sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for larceny.
Following the self-immolation incidents, Lorang Konchok and Lorang Tsering used a mobile phone to send pictures and other information of the victims to their overseas contacts belonging to the “Tibet independence” organization.
“They mailed me an iPhone from India,”Lorang Konchok said during an investigation while in custody.
“I did not know my behavior had violated the law,” Lorang Tsering confessed. “Now I regret it very much.”
Brainwashed by Lorang Konchok, young monks and followers attempted selfimmolation. Lorang Konchok pressed them, repeatedly asking the victims when and where they would perform self-immolation. As a result, three innocent people burned themselves to death.
Most victims abandoned the idea of self-immolation after their families, local government officials and police officers intervened.
Lorang Konchok had pressured Zhaso and Sogdoi, both 28, to light themselves on fire. After Zhaso and Sogdoi decided to abandon the suicide attempts, Lorang Konchok continued to harass them, urging the two to commit self-immolation as soon as possible. Fearing for their lives, Zhaso and Sogdoi escaped Aba and did not return until Lorang Konchok and Lorang Tsering were apprehended by the police.
Though the two suspects spared no effort to incite others to self immolate, they lacked the courage to do so themselves.
“I am afraid of death and I cannot bear the pain of self-burning,” Lorang Konchok said, “I don’t want to be a self-immolation hero.”
The two suspects will be charged with intentional homicide, local police said.
Political motivations
With 130 years of history, the Kirti Monastery is home to 1,000 monks, including more than 100 teenage monks.
It is a tradition for local people to send children to the monastery to become acolytes who grow up barely knowing the world outside their cloisters. Separatists like Lorang Konchok have many opportunities to instill poisonous ideas in their highly impressionable minds. Thus, young monks go to such extremes without any apprehension.
“In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a classic saying that the human body is precious. This is a fundamental thought of Buddhism,” said Xiong Kunxin, a professor studying ethnic culture and policy at Minzu University of China in Beijing. Abstaining from killing and suicide is one of the primary precepts in Buddhist monastic discipline, according to Xiong.
“If the Dalai Lama could stand out and make an explicit statement to oppose selfimmolation, that would be the effective way to stop these suicides,” Xiong said. “But the Dalai Lama appears very ambiguous on the issue, which actually encourages such extreme behavior.”
During a visit to the United States in October, the Dalai Lama told NBC that he was “quite certain” that if people sacrificed themselves with sincere motivation, “from the Buddhist viewpoint, from the religious viewpoint, it is positive.”
Recently, the Dalai Lama even declared it should be made clear to every Tibetan that those who burn themselves to death under the rule of the Communist Party will be reborn in the world of free Tibet in the future. Such absurd remarks illustrate the Dalai Lama’s strong support for suicidal acts.
In addition, Lobsang Sangay, head of the so-called “Tibetan government in exile”in Dharamsala, north India, which is not acknowledged by any state in the world, announced his support for self-immolation many times. At a meeting in October 2011, he called on followers to spread self-immolation from Aba to other Tibetan-inhabited areas. Moreover, Lobsang Sangay said that the media liaison team worked well during a conversation with the exiled Kirti tulku. In October, Lobsang Sangay continued his encouragement for self-immolation and told followers not to lose confidence at a Buddhist gathering.
“Most of the self-burning victims are young people around 20 years old. Young people are generally naive and innocent and vulnerable to being cheated by their deeply believed spiritual leaders,” Xiong said.
According to the professor, because of their very young age, the victims in selfimmolation accidents have not established mature values on life and religion.
“The Dalai Lama and his followers make use of these characteristics to achieve their political purposes,” Xiong said. “They neither accord with Buddhist doctrine nor conform to humanitarian principles.”
Rescue efforts
The self-immolation incidents disturbed the stability in Aba. The local government has made effort to save victims and prevent such incidents from re-occuring.
“We have increased patrol to stop selfimmolation attempts,” said Garang Phontsug, a police officer in Aba. He witnessed a young monk attempting self-immolation in the street on March 16 and rushed to the man with a fire extinguisher.
“It was within five minutes we sent the burning man to a hospital. The only thing we wanted was to save his life,” said Garang Phontsug. Unfortunately, the man died in the hospital.
Song Guangjun is a surgeon with the People’s Hospital in Aba. He has treated several victims of self-immolation.
“The victims are very young. Though some of them survived thanks to immediate treatment, their lives have been ruined,”Song said.
It seems that this temple is no different from any other in Sichuan’s Tibetaninhabited areas. But monks of the Kirti Monastery have been involved in over 22 incidents of self-immolation in Aba over the past three years.
Lacking evidence, police had been unable to prove any connection between the rash of self-immolations until a recent breakthrough pointed to a pattern of instigation by a monk and his nephew, announced the Sichuan police on December 9.
The 40-year-old Lorang Konchok is accused of having incited eight people to set themselves on fire since 2009. Three of the victims died. He also recruited Lorang Tsering, his 31-year-old nephew, to help instigate the immolations, according to a police statement.
Cruel instigators
Police started their investigation after a series of self-immolations took place in Aba in August. They detained Lorang Konchok on August 13 and Lorang Tsering on August 15.
Lorang Konchok, born in Aba and ordained at the Kirti Monastery in 1972, was an influential senior monk before his arrest. He confessed to inciting the self-immolation during detention.
After a Kirti monk named Tapey lit himself aflame in February 2009, police said that Lorang Konchok was contacted by Doan and Samten, two media liaisons of the Dalai Lama group’s “Tibet independence” organization based in north India.
Doan was a Kirti monk in Aba. He snuck into India many years ago and is now the assistant of an exiled Kirti tulku who left for India with the Dalai Lama in 1959 and is a key member of the Dalai Lama group. He also has an affinity with Lorang Konchok.
Samten, 31, once studied Buddhist doctrine with Lorang Konchok in China. In 2000, Samten illegally fled across the border into India.
Lorang Konchok said that Doan and Samten told him to look for people willing to set themselves on fire and send back information so that they could pressure the Chinese Government by sending startling pictures to overseas media organizations.
Following secret overseas orders, Lorang Konchok took advantage of his position and influence in the monastery and encouraged young monks and followers to self-immolate, advocating that it did not violate Buddhist doctrines and those who did so were “heroes.” Lorang Konchok said that he also prom- ised to spread information and pictures abroad so victims and their families would be acknowledged and honored.
Later, Lorang Konchok persuaded his nephew to help. Lorang Tsering was previously sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for larceny.
Following the self-immolation incidents, Lorang Konchok and Lorang Tsering used a mobile phone to send pictures and other information of the victims to their overseas contacts belonging to the “Tibet independence” organization.
“They mailed me an iPhone from India,”Lorang Konchok said during an investigation while in custody.
“I did not know my behavior had violated the law,” Lorang Tsering confessed. “Now I regret it very much.”
Brainwashed by Lorang Konchok, young monks and followers attempted selfimmolation. Lorang Konchok pressed them, repeatedly asking the victims when and where they would perform self-immolation. As a result, three innocent people burned themselves to death.
Most victims abandoned the idea of self-immolation after their families, local government officials and police officers intervened.
Lorang Konchok had pressured Zhaso and Sogdoi, both 28, to light themselves on fire. After Zhaso and Sogdoi decided to abandon the suicide attempts, Lorang Konchok continued to harass them, urging the two to commit self-immolation as soon as possible. Fearing for their lives, Zhaso and Sogdoi escaped Aba and did not return until Lorang Konchok and Lorang Tsering were apprehended by the police.
Though the two suspects spared no effort to incite others to self immolate, they lacked the courage to do so themselves.
“I am afraid of death and I cannot bear the pain of self-burning,” Lorang Konchok said, “I don’t want to be a self-immolation hero.”
The two suspects will be charged with intentional homicide, local police said.
Political motivations
With 130 years of history, the Kirti Monastery is home to 1,000 monks, including more than 100 teenage monks.
It is a tradition for local people to send children to the monastery to become acolytes who grow up barely knowing the world outside their cloisters. Separatists like Lorang Konchok have many opportunities to instill poisonous ideas in their highly impressionable minds. Thus, young monks go to such extremes without any apprehension.
“In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a classic saying that the human body is precious. This is a fundamental thought of Buddhism,” said Xiong Kunxin, a professor studying ethnic culture and policy at Minzu University of China in Beijing. Abstaining from killing and suicide is one of the primary precepts in Buddhist monastic discipline, according to Xiong.
“If the Dalai Lama could stand out and make an explicit statement to oppose selfimmolation, that would be the effective way to stop these suicides,” Xiong said. “But the Dalai Lama appears very ambiguous on the issue, which actually encourages such extreme behavior.”
During a visit to the United States in October, the Dalai Lama told NBC that he was “quite certain” that if people sacrificed themselves with sincere motivation, “from the Buddhist viewpoint, from the religious viewpoint, it is positive.”
Recently, the Dalai Lama even declared it should be made clear to every Tibetan that those who burn themselves to death under the rule of the Communist Party will be reborn in the world of free Tibet in the future. Such absurd remarks illustrate the Dalai Lama’s strong support for suicidal acts.
In addition, Lobsang Sangay, head of the so-called “Tibetan government in exile”in Dharamsala, north India, which is not acknowledged by any state in the world, announced his support for self-immolation many times. At a meeting in October 2011, he called on followers to spread self-immolation from Aba to other Tibetan-inhabited areas. Moreover, Lobsang Sangay said that the media liaison team worked well during a conversation with the exiled Kirti tulku. In October, Lobsang Sangay continued his encouragement for self-immolation and told followers not to lose confidence at a Buddhist gathering.
“Most of the self-burning victims are young people around 20 years old. Young people are generally naive and innocent and vulnerable to being cheated by their deeply believed spiritual leaders,” Xiong said.
According to the professor, because of their very young age, the victims in selfimmolation accidents have not established mature values on life and religion.
“The Dalai Lama and his followers make use of these characteristics to achieve their political purposes,” Xiong said. “They neither accord with Buddhist doctrine nor conform to humanitarian principles.”
Rescue efforts
The self-immolation incidents disturbed the stability in Aba. The local government has made effort to save victims and prevent such incidents from re-occuring.
“We have increased patrol to stop selfimmolation attempts,” said Garang Phontsug, a police officer in Aba. He witnessed a young monk attempting self-immolation in the street on March 16 and rushed to the man with a fire extinguisher.
“It was within five minutes we sent the burning man to a hospital. The only thing we wanted was to save his life,” said Garang Phontsug. Unfortunately, the man died in the hospital.
Song Guangjun is a surgeon with the People’s Hospital in Aba. He has treated several victims of self-immolation.
“The victims are very young. Though some of them survived thanks to immediate treatment, their lives have been ruined,”Song said.