Expulsions Resumed at Yachen Gar Buddhist Study Centre

By Hugh M Casey / June 20, 2019;

A nun looking at Yarchen Gar nunnery in Palyul of Karze Prefecture in Tibet
Photo: Pinterest

The Chinese authorities in Sichuan province have resumed expulsions at Yachen Gar, a renowned Buddhist study centre in Kardze prefecture’s Palyul county.This latest wave follows the expulsion of 2,000 monks and nuns from the site in August 2017, where as many homes were also demolished.

Before the 2017 expulsions it is estimated that the number of residents at Yachen Gar had grown to around 10,000 since it was founded in 1980 by Akhyuk Rinpoche.The monastic community is comprised of monks, nuns and lay practitioners devoted to meditation and scriptural study.

A Radio Free Asia(RFA) source claims that 3,500 monks and nuns have been forcibly evicted since May, although the total number remains unconfirmed as a separate local Tibetan source described the removals as an “ongoing process”. According to RFA’s source, who wished to remain anonymous, students from outside the Sichuan area have been specifically targeted; only a few “exceptionally accomplished” lamas and khenpos (Buddhist instructors) have been permitted to stay.

Speaking to RFA’s Tibet service, the source went on to say that around 600 Chinese officials are now permanently stationed at the centre in order tokeep a “tight watch”:“They closely monitor the monks’ movement and check on all outside visitors,” he added.

At the time of the interview the source said that Chinese officials had not torn down any permanent dwellings, however the makeshift shelters belonging to the targeted residents have already been cleared away.

A mood of despondency is said to have befallen the senior monks and instructors at Yachen Gar because of the removals, which they are unwilling to discuss.

The continued removals from Yachen Gar reflects a now established policy of interference and restriction at Buddhist learning centres, which has also been implemented at the Larung Gar complex in Sichuan’s Serthar county. At least 4,820 Tibetan and Han Chinese monks were removed from Larung Gar between 2017 and 2018.

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), a Washington based advocacy group, highlighted these monastic centres as a “bridge” between Tibetan and Chinese communities. In a 2017 report titled Shadow of Dust Across the Sun, the ICT described the actions as “part of an unfolding political strategy[…] in order to curb and manage the growing influence and number of monks and nuns at these important monastic centres of study”.

Tenzin Dorjee, chair of the bipartisan United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, spoke to RFA about the latest evictions from Yachen Gar. Dorjee called the persisting controls at Yachen Gar “an egregious violation of the freedom of religion.” He added that “this is a case that we will be following closely and will address at all important forums.” Dorjee also remarked, “Religious freedom in Tibet is going from bad to worse.”