After Tibetan Buddhist monk released from jail, reports suggest his health is poor

A Tibetan Buddhist monk was freed from jail when he sent money to the Dalai Lama and the abbot of Kirti Monastery in India for prayer offerings. He is reportedly in terrible health, nevertheless, according to Tibetan authorities.

After being imprisoned for three and a half years in April 2021 for allegedly giving money to the abbot of the monastery and the Tibetan spiritual leader, Rachung Gendun was released on November 16, according to Radio Free Asia.

Such correspondence with exiles is deemed unlawful by Chinese officials, especially when it comes to the Dalai Lama, who escaped to India in 1959. Tibetans within Tibet have been persecuted for decades for delivering religious gifts or cash to the Dalai Lama and other religious authorities.

As a sign of their steadfast commitment to their spiritual leader, many Tibetans have persisted to covertly send money despite the possibility of harsh punishment. Gendun is presently ill and undergoing treatment at Hashi Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province, according to a Tibetan source who asked not to be named out of concern for reprisals, Radio Free Asia said.

“Gendun faced significant hardships during his imprisonment, including the loss of his 85-year-old mother, who passed away on June 10, 2024,” said a source.

According to the source, “His mother was harassed multiple times by the Chinese government, and sadly, she passed away without being able to see her son one final time.”

Taphun, Gendun’s uncle, staged a self-immolation demonstration outside Kirti Monastery’s security office in Ngaba County in 2022. After this occurrence, the Chinese authorities accused Gendun’s mother, Norpo, of plotting with her brother in the protest and put her under harsh restrictions and under supervision.

Over the period of over a year, Norpo’s liberties were severely restricted. She was refused access to healthcare, hospital stays, and religious activities like circumambulation, which Tibetans believe is a way to build merit and cleanse bad karma. Her health suffered greatly as a result of these severe measures, according to reports.

The story of Gendun brings to light the continued difficulties that Tibetans, especially those who have ties to the Dalai Lama or Tibetan religious organizations outside, suffer under Chinese authority. Gendun had been an outspoken opponent of Beijing’s “patriotic education” program, which aimed to make Tibetans condemn the Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese government labels a “splittist,” prior to his arrest in 2021, according to Radio Free Asia.

Another report claims that after the upheaval that swept across Tibetan districts from Lhasa in March 2008, Gendun had resisted Beijing’s assault. He was questioned at this time, held for many months, and had his residence raided, during which Chinese officials seized pictures of the Dalai Lama.