(TibetanReview.net, Aug20’26) – While members of China’s so-called ethnic Minority groups in the free world, including Tibetans, as well as the international community, have condemned China’s recently implemented Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law as a tool of forced assimilation, the Chinese government-installed “11th Panchen Lama” Gyaltsen Norbu has on Aug 14 called the law a powerful instrument of national law and also an embodiment of the true Dharma on which religious precepts should be based, according to China’s online Tibet news service eng.tibet.cn Aug 18.
Ethnic unity is the foundation of national unity, the cornerstone of social harmony, and the source of development and progress. The law offers robust institutional safeguards for strengthening the sense of community for the Chinese nation and consolidating the foundations of ethnic unity, and serves as a fundamental measure to consolidate and advance the cause of ethnic unity and progress in the new era, he has said.
Addressing a symposium in Lhasa for representatives of non-CPC (Communist Party of China) individuals in Xizang (Tibet Autonomous Region) to study, publicize and implement the Ethnic Unity Law, Gyaltsen Norbu has asserted that national law takes precedence over religious precepts, and believing in the true Dharma must begin with observing discipline and the law.
He has vowed to devote himself to studying the essence of the law, embrace its spirit, follow the principles of upholding the law, and guide monks, nuns and followers in Tibetan Buddhism to understand that the law is a strong legal safeguard protecting their lawful rights and interests and an important standard for handling ethnic affairs in the new era.
He was stated to have maintained that building a shared spiritual home for the Chinese nation was highly consistent with the fine Buddhist tradition of solemnizing the land and bringing benefit and happiness to all sentient beings.
According to him, building a shared spiritual home depends above all on a shared cultural identity, with patriotism as its foundation. “The motherland is the place where we are born, raised and nurtured, and to which our deepest emotions belong. Loving the country and loving one’s religion has never been an empty slogan; it is a responsibility that every Buddhist disciple should fulfil.”
To “keep the fundamental interests of the country in mind” means embracing the shared symbols and image of China and repaying the great kindness of the Communist Party of China and the land that has nurtured us. “Only by loving and serving the country can we fulfil the Buddhist aspiration for a prosperous and peaceful age,” he has asserted.
Basing himself on President Xi Jinping’s “new era” slogan, Gylatsen Norbu has said that those who observe religious precepts should take “safeguarding ethnic unity” as a solemn personal responsibility and put the principle of unity of “body, speech and mind” into practice from the depths of their hearts. He has called on monks, nuns and Buddhist followers “to study and understand the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law in accordance with its principles, set aside prejudice and division, reach a common understanding and firmly develop a law-based mindset,” so that “the law can better fulfil its purpose and bring greater benefits to all.”
Noting that religious figures occupy a unique position that enables them to connect with the broader community of religious believers, Gylatsen Norbu has said, “Under the guidance of the CPC and the government, we will lead by example and actively create opportunities and platforms for exchanges, interaction and integration among all ethnic groups through religious activities, cultural exchanges, public welfare and charitable initiatives, and other areas. We should guide monks, nuns and Buddhist followers to respect, study, observe and apply the law.’
Calling on people to “remain firm and unwavering in safeguarding national unity and clearly oppose separatism,” the China-installed “11th Panchen Lama” has said, “The Tibetan Buddhist community should regard the implementation of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law as an opportunity in keeping with Buddhist principles and the needs of the times, and repay the kindness of the country through concrete action.”
“I will take this law as a guiding light and contribute the wisdom and strength that the religious community can offer to the development of a modern socialist Xizang and the great cause of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he was quoted as saying, using the Sinicized name for Tibet Autonomous Region.