Yes, you read that correctly.

From MSNBC:

"In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is 'an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation.'"

You can't make this shit up, folks.

The offshoot of this madness is that the Chinese government has effectively reserved the right to name its own Dali Lama once the current one dies. I think the government's staunch atheism may make it impossible for them to choose the right one. Hmmm....

Thanks to boingboing for the heads-up on this. Normally, I don't like to overlap my posts with theirs, since educated readers like you should be reading boingboing every day.


China's Totalitarian Freak Show Goes Apeshit