Recently, China exposed a fake living Buddha through using its online
Rinpoche Checking System of Tibetan Buddhism published in January, 2016.
Earlier, a piece of information widely spread on internet shows that a man named Khotse Cizhimu claimed himself to be a living Buddha at the Tibetan Buddhist Labrang Monastery, and he was born in February 1969 in the Labrang area of Gansu Province.
Added information shows that he was hard-working and talented. He has not only received the "Gexi", the highest academic degree of the Gelu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, but also obtained a master's degree from the Department of Philosophy at Peking University and doctorates from three other institutions at home and abroad. What's more, he has also independently compiled a Tibetan Buddhist book containing 18.5 million characters.
However, he was proved to be a fraud.
After investigations by the Gansu Administration for Religious Affairs, it was found that the man had nothing to do with Labrang Monastery. He was once a monk at another temple, but only an ordinary monk instead of a living Buddha. In 1988, he was enrolled in Gansu Province's Buddhist Academy, which sits in the Labrang Monastery.
According to the Buddhist Academy, his performance in school was below par. In 2001, he began to work as a teacher at the academy, but was dismissed because of long time absence. Certainly, he didn't get the "Gexi" degree, either.
The Living Buddha checking system provides precise information of 870 verified authentic living Buddhas, including: photos, names, religious names, monastic titles, date of birth, religious sects, living Buddha number and resident monastries.
The verified living Buddhas in the checking system are all confirmed based on four conditions contained in the Management Methods for Tibetan Buddhism's Living Buddha Reincarnation, that is, he must has a predecessor, a resident temple, recognized as a living Buddha through the reincarnation system and approved by the government, all of which are indispensable.
The Living Buddha reincarnation system is a unique heritage system of Tibetan Buddhism created in the 13th century. It has a set of strict religious rituals and historical conventions.
However, in recent years, some people portray themselves as living Buddhas to swindle money from believers in China's Tibetan-inhabited areas, Beijing, Shanghai and other economically developed cities. This has damaged the interests of the religious masses and undermined the prestige of Tibetan Buddhism and the Living Buddhas.
