Tibetan officials warned against participating in religious activities during holy month/ENG

2018. május 31./Phayul.com/TibetPress

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DHARAMSHALA, MAY 31: Chinese authorities in the so called Tibet Autonomous Region have issued orders to serving and retired Tibetan officials warning them of consequences if they participated in religious activities during the holy month of Saka Dawa, reported the Voice of Tibet

Chinese authorities in TAR have in the past stepped up restrictions on the religious activities of Tibetans in the region, especially Lhasa, ahead of the holy Buddhist festival, which celebrates the three most important events of the life of Lord Buddha - his birth, enlightenment and parinirvana (death).

The directive was issued only to government offices due to which the ordinary public is unaware of it, a Tibetan source told VOT. The same source added that a few Tibetan officials did not receive their monthly salary check and when they inquired about it, the authorities had shown secretly taken pictures of the Tibetan officials taking part in religious activities during Saka Dawa last year.

The Saka Dawa, the fourth month of the Tibetan Lunar calendar, is observed by Tibetan Buddhists as holy month, when hundreds and thousands of Tibetan Buddhists flock to holy sites to offer prayers and engage in spiritual activities.

Tibetan Buddhists believe during Saka Dawa, the fourth month of the Tibetan Lunar calendar, the karmic results of virtuous and non-virtuous actions are magnified.

Restrictions and prohibitions are regularly imposed on religious ceremonies and sensitive anniversaries. Apart from politically sensitive anniversary like March 10 Tibetan Uprising Day, China has also acted with equally heightened vigilance during mass occasions like Losar(Tibetan New Year), Monlam Chenmo (The Great Prayer Festival), Birthday of His Holiness the Dalai lama and the 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and other similar events.