Reincarnation banned in China !!!!

In one of the most bizarre news items I have read recently, it is reported in MSNBC's Newsweek:

In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation."

Yes this is a move to minimise the affect of the exiled Dalai Lama who says, in response amongst other things, that he won't reincarnate in China or Tibet! There is a good (!) reason for this:

By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.

Since we now "know" he will not re-incarnate there, that might take the wind out of the sails of this Chinese move. Or not. Watch this space.