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    BOOTING THE WHEEL OF SAMSARA

    In 2007, the Chinese Administration for Religious Affairs declared, apparently without any irony, that Tibetan Buddhist monks needed to seek state permission in order to be reincarnated and that a strict set of procedures needed to be followed in order to guarantee successful reincarnation. While Western observers had a good chuckle, the Tibetans aren’t laughing: the law effectively gives China the ability to name the newest Dalai Lama. That’s a problem no benefit concert is likely to fix.