Jude's art of dealing with religious issues

In October 1934, the Fifth Anti-"Encirclement and Suppression" War was lost, and the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was forced to start the Long March, which passed through more than a dozen ethnic minority areas such as Miao, Yao, Dong, Buyi, Tujia, Bai, Naxi, Yi, Tibetan, Qiang, and Hui. Moreover, most of them are religious. Among them, the Tibetans and Hui people believe in religion throughout the nation, and the people only have the freedom to believe in religion, not the freedom not to believe in religion. The Attitude of the Red Army towards their religious beliefs was often regarded as an attitude towards the minorities, and the slightest neglect and neglect of their religion would create a serious antagonism between the Red Army and the minorities. At that time, the Red Army was without a rear and no base, and faced a series of difficulties, such as the search for guides in the advance, the resettlement of the wounded and sick, the collection of food, the replenishment of soldiers, and sometimes the crossing of the road in the midst of many difficulties. In the case of obstructing the enemy in the front and pursuing the troops in the rear, to overcome these difficulties, it is necessary to mobilize and unite the various ethnic minorities and obtain their help. In response to this series of problems, Zhu De personally formulated a series of religious policies and led the Red Army to carry out patient, enthusiastic, meticulous and rich and fruitful religious work.

I. Practice freedom of religious belief, protect sites of religious activity, and respect the religious practices of ethnic minorities

In the spring of 1936, the Long March of the Red Fourth Front led by Zhu De and Zhang Guotao reached the Tibetan areas of Daofu and Ganzi. In order to protect the Baili Lama Temple, the Red Fourth Front specially issued a notice, which read: The Chabaili Lama Monastery united with the Red Army and jointly revived and destroyed Chiang Kai-shek, and should be protected, and no troops should be harassed. For the Red Army soldiers who violated the regulations, Zhu De demanded that the leaders of all units should be dealt with strictly. When the Red Army first arrived in the Tibetan-populated area of Baoxing County in northwest Sichuan, a soldier, out of curiosity, ran to the lama's temple to watch the prayer hall when the lama was "eating tea" (a kind of religious activity), and when the leader of the unit learned about it, he immediately criticized him and sent people to set up a post at the entrance of the prayer hall to prohibit the soldiers of the army from entering. The strict organizational discipline of the Red Army can be seen from the cautious situation of protecting religious activity sites and respecting the religious practices of ethnic minorities at that time. When the Red Army arrived in Liping, Guizhou, Zhu De pointed out that the customs and habits of various ethnic minorities are not the same, and in addition to implementing the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, the Red Army must also pay attention to respecting the customs and habits of ethnic minorities; the Tibetans have a custom, that is, women are forbidden to enter lama temples. When the Red Fourth Front was stationed in Luhuo, two female fighters broke into the Lama Temple out of curiosity, causing the lama's dissatisfaction, and when the leaders of the unit learned of it, they immediately punished the two female fighters to strictly enforce the discipline of the Red Army. Another example is that the Hui have a taboo, that is, they fast on eating pork. When the Red Army was about to enter the Huimin areas, Zhu De stipulated to all units of the Red Army that it was forbidden to borrow Hui people's utensils and utensils, and it was not allowed to eat pork and lard in the Hui areas, and fully respected the customs and habits of the Hui people.

Second, strive to win and unite the upper echelons of religious circles and establish a united front with religious circles

Kham district is an area inhabited by Tibetans, and the people generally believe in lamaism and worship living Buddhas and lamas. These religious elites have a wide influence, both religiously and politically, and by winning and uniting them, they have won and united the broad masses of religious believers. In order to win over the broad masses of ethnic minorities and achieve the goal of smoothly crossing the border to the north to resist Japan, it is necessary to respect, unite, and win over the upper echelons of religious circles, isolate ourselves to the minimum extent, and strike at the enemy to the greatest extent. Zhu De's struggle for unity with the Tibetan Geda Living Buddha was a success story that had a far-reaching impact. In the spring of 1936, Zhu De led the Long March of the Red Army to Xikang Ganzi. Long before the arrival of the Red Army, Kuomintang agents and local reactionary leaders had driven away cattle and sheep and cleared the wilderness. And spread among the Tibetans: "Whoever interacts with the Red Bandits, the Communist Party, and the Han Chinese, brings disaster to the grasslands, and when we come back, we will kill your whole family." So, the Tibetans, who did not know the truth, fled to the mountains with their children and daughters. Ganzi, left to the Red Army only an empty city. Under the siege and blockade of the Kuomintang troops, the Red Army suffered serious casualties and lacked grain and grass. Zhu De personally went to the Bairi Monastery located in the south of Ganzi and on the banks of the Yalong River, and met with the only Buddhist leader who remained here, the Geda Living Buddha. Jude and Gerda talk by candlelight. Gerda felt that the famous commander-in-chief in front of him was talkative, smiling, kind and kind, like a brother. From him, it was not at all obvious that he was a great general who commanded the three armies. Gerda finally firmly believed in the fact that the Red Army was a good man and helped the common people fight the world. Seeing that the local scriptures and Buddha statues were intact, Gerda said to his attaché: "As a living Buddha, I use buddhist scriptures to transcend people's souls to go to Elysium, while the Red Army led by the Communist Party is an army that fights the world for the poor; although our beliefs are different, they are all for the poor." From then on, he personally summoned the villagers who had fled to the mountains and asked them to produce with peace of mind; mobilized the serfs belonging to Baili Monastery to take out the grain to support the Red Army; and also went to the nearby Genglong and Yala Lama Monasteries to publicize the purpose of the Red Army to the living Buddhas of these temples, asking them to do their best to support the Red Army. Two months later, on the eve of the Red Army's march north, Zhu De left a handwritten inscription for Geda Living Buddha: "Friend of the Red Army and Leader of the Tibetan People" and an octagonal hat embellished with a red five-star. With tears in his eyes, Gerda said with deep affection: "Kelsang flowers are blooming in the grassland, and the Red Army has brought good luck to the Tibetans." Please believe that I will live up to the trust of my old friends and wait for the Return of the Red Army. "After the Red Army went north, he protected a large number of wounded and sick people of the Red Army and made a positive contribution.

Muslims who believe in Islam have a strong sense of religion, so protecting mosques and doing a good job in the work of religious elites is the key to winning and mobilizing the Muslim masses. In Yunnan and Gannan, Zhu De visited mosques and churches many times to talk to his parishioners and propagate the ideas of the Chinese Communist Party. When the Red Army left these areas, some of the leaders of the parishioners organized the parishioners to parade farewell, and some also organized the parishioners to join the Red Army.

To win over and unite the upper echelons of religious circles and to regard them as the targets of the united front, in addition to mutual respect in faith, we must also believe in them politically, recruit them to participate in the building of the people's revolutionary power at all levels, and take proper care of them economically. Zhu De, Liu Bocheng and other leaders of the Red Fourth Front held the first provincial party congress of the Jinchuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China in February 1936, and adopted the new tactical line of the Geldesha Central Government (the Geldesha government, that is, the Tibetan people's government) as "giving the right to vote and be elected to all small leaders of the revolution, and the right to vote to the big leaders of the revolution." The great lamas in the revolutionary areas did not confiscate their property and allowed them to divide the land equally with the people in order to unite them." At the beginning of 1936, after liberating the Areas of Daofu, Luhuo, and Ganzi on the Kangbei Plateau, the Left Route Army of the Red Army led by Zhu De and other comrades established the Boba government (that is, the Chinese Soviet Tibetan Autonomous Government) in the above three counties in order to promote the in-depth development of the local revolution. On April 15 of the same year, on the basis of the boba governments of the counties, the Autonomous Boba government of the Chinese Soviet was established. Zhu De presided over the inaugural meeting. Geda Rinpoche, a well-known patriot of the upper echelons of the Tibetan religion, served as chairman of the Boba autonomous government. The united front is one of the three magic weapons of our party. During the Long March, Zhu De, in accordance with the requirements of the party's policy of establishing an anti-Japanese national united front, regarded patriotic religious figures among the minority nationalities, especially those at the upper levels, as the target of the united front, and this was his enrichment and development of the party's united front. For the first time in the Party, religious issues have been brought into the category of the United Front of the Chinese Revolution and religious work has been elevated to the level of the United Front.

III. Separating Administration from Religion, Abolishing Religious Privileges and Religious Oppression For a long time, China's Sichuan Kang Tibetan area has formed a political system in which the theory and state are integrated. The leaders of lamaism throughout the ages, who were also the largest serf owners in Tibet and the leaders of the local authorities in Tibet, could formulate, interpret and enforce laws according to the teachings of Buddhism and the "will of the gods and Buddhas." Monasteries can take advantage of religious privileges and have dictatorial tools such as courts, prisons, and armed forces. The temple also had a large amount of land and serfs, and the internal hierarchy was strict, and the general lamas had no power, but were serfs in robes, while the upper lamas enjoyed feudal privileges, and the lamas and serfs they belonged to were heavily exploited, brutally oppressed and humiliated, and even killed people.

The policy of separation of church and state was established in the early stages of the agrarian revolutionary war. Religious organs are exclusively engaged in religious functions and do not participate in or interfere in all secular affairs under the jurisdiction of the government, while the government regards religious beliefs and religious activities as the private affairs of every citizen, the rights and freedoms of individuals, without any interference or influence on them, and legally guarantees the legitimate religious activities of all religious groups. In November 1935, the Red Fourth Front led by Zhu De, Zhang Guotao and Liu Bocheng helped the Tibetan people in the Jinchuan River Valley establish the Labor Soviet regime, the Gredessa Republic. While protecting freedom of belief, lama improvement societies were established within the government to implement the Religious Reformation. The Improvement Council propagated the separation of church and state, that lamas should not interfere in politics, and that lama monasteries should be transformed into pure cultural and educational institutions. In order to enable the broad masses of Tibetans to enjoy their due rights in the struggle for national liberation and truly realize their liberation, the leaders of the Red Fourth Front, headed by Zhu De, worked hard to promote the policy of separating the administration from religion in the Tibetan area of northern Kang, clearly stipulating: "The Great Lama of the Living Buddha is only allowed to preach and has no right to inquire about politics." All political power goes to the Soviets or the people's revolutionary government, and all power goes to the slaves, herdsmen, workers, and soldiers' soviets. The Soviets or the People's Revolutionary Government are not located in the Lama Temple, which should be transformed into an organ of the Fan People's Revolution and cultural education. The temple property is managed by the Most People's Organizing Committee of the Fan ethnic group. "Through the separation of administration and religion, the Red Army gradually transferred administrative power to the people of all nationalities to their own power, and through the people's power, carried out class struggle in areas where class contradictions were more tense, cracked down on local tyrants and gentry, and distributed land. Although the separation of church and state deprived the monastic group of administrative power, the upper echelons of ethnicity and religion could still obtain political rights through elections. On the one hand, the Red Army tried its best to adopt a policy of struggle and unity with these people, and on the other hand vigorously mobilized the masses to wage a class struggle to crack down on the local tyrants and gentry and stabilize social order; on this basis, it distributed the land of the local tyrants and gentry to the poor people and helped them develop production.

In the late Long March, Zhu De's reform of Lamaism and its temples was able to formulate a relatively sophisticated policy in accordance with the general policy of the anti-Japanese national united front and the principle of "separation of church and state." The reform of "separation of church and state" carried out by Zhu De and others in Tibetan areas is the first time in the history of the Tibetan nationality and is also the earliest practice of our party in carrying out religious reform. It has accumulated useful experience for the religious democratic reforms introduced by the party at the end of the 1950s. This also proves that Zhu De's grasp of religious affairs is at the leading level within the party, and his foresight has made useful contributions to the party's religious reform and has had a far-reaching impact. Fourth, crack down on religious figures and religious armed forces that divide and react

In June 1935, after the Red First and Fourth Fronts met with Maogong, the Kuomintang, in order to encircle and suppress the Red Army and wipe out the Red Army in northwest Sichuan and the Kham region, sinisterly used the influence of Lamaism in Tibetan areas to carry out demagogic propaganda against the Tibetan masses through religious elites, in an attempt to provoke fear and hatred of the Tibetan masses against the Red Army, in order to cooperate with its encirclement and suppression of the Red Army. Under the planning of the Kuomintang, the Ninth Panchen Lama published the "Letter to the Tibetan People for the Disaster of the Communist Bandits and the Country", which wantonly slandered the Red Army and incited the monks and laymen in the Kham District to "organize and cooperate with the local garrison" to resist the entry of the Red Army that "destroyed religion.". At the same time, the "Association of Monks and Villagers of Xikang in Chengdu", adhering to the will of the Kuomintang, sent a telegram to the great lama monastery and the head of the toast in Kham District, demanding: "All the monasteries and villages in Kangzhong are organized separately, contact the people's army, and reconnoiter the bandits near and far. In July 1935, Chiang Kai-shek sent the Kuomintang "Xikang Propaganda Envoy" Nona into Kang, specifically organizing local armed forces in the Kham area to block and block the Red Army.

Faced with the collusion of the Kuomintang reactionaries and the reactionary religious elite, and in the face of the armed blockade of nona's gathering of Lamas such as Lingque Temple, Shouling Temple, Jueri Temple, and Ganzi Temple, the Red Fourth Front Led by Zhu De crossed the Snowy Mountains of Dangling, and Nona hurriedly summoned the upper lamas of The Lingque Temple, the largest lama in Daofu, to a meeting to study the deployment of the Anti-Jamming Red Army, threatened and lured them to confront the Red Army, and gave them some guns and ammunition. Soon, the Red Thirty Army, the vanguard of the Red Fourth Front, entered the county seat of Daofu County, and the Lama of Lingque Temple confronted the Red Army with a high wall and a deep courtyard. The abbot of Lingque Monastery, Khenpo Ma Qiangong (a member of the Kuomintang), sent a "death squad" of more than 40 lamas to attack. In the face of the armed provocation of the reactionary lamas, the Red Army launched a powerful counterattack, and Ding Zhen Chadang and 4 other lamas were killed on the spot, and many lamas were injured. After several failed attempts, the abbot Khenpo Ma Qiang, seeing that there was no hope of holding on, abandoned the temple and fled.

In March 1936, the 88th Division of the 30th Red Army, under the leadership of Liu Bocheng and Cheng Shicai, marched into Luhuo. Shortly before the arrival of the Red Army, Nona gave the Surin Monastery Lama and other congregations a propaganda campaign against the Red Army and gave Shouling Monastery a batch of rifles and bullets. After the Red Eighty-eighth Division besieged Shouling Temple, Zhu De, on behalf of the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front, instructed him to adopt the policy of focusing on political struggle for Shouling Temple, encircle it rather than fight, and strive for a peaceful settlement. However, the upper lamas of Shouling Monastery, disregarding the sincerity of the Red Army, brazenly opened fire and killed the two Tongsi who shouted, and the two Tongsi who went to deliver the letter were also killed. Soon, under the liaison and instigation of the Lama of Shouling Temple, the leaders of Theuruho Zhuwu, Donggu of Ganzi, Baili, Adu and other toast leaders rushed to Luhuo to reinforce The Shouling Temple and prepare to attack the Red Army inside and outside. However, under the fierce counterattack of the Red Army, the "death squad" of the Shouling Temple lamas was defeated, and the tusi leaders who reinforced the Shouling Temple were scattered. Zhu De specifically telegraphed the Red Army to "give preferential treatment to lamas captured at Shouling Monastery, and asked them to write letters to Ganzi and monasteries everywhere not to fight with us, greatly publicizing our army's policy toward lamas." The Red Army followed the instructions and still let the captured lamas live in the monastery, chanted the sutras as usual, and gave them food. The Red Army's protection of the temples and the preferential treatment of the captured lamas deeply touched the religious circles and the broad Masses of Tibetans in Luhuo, and the hostile Red Army gradually cooperated with the Red Army. The Eighty-eighth Division of the Red Thirty Army entered ZhuWu, and the living Buddha of Jueri Monastery led all the lamas of the monastery to open the temple door to meet the Red Army. After the Red Army arrived in Ganzi, it reached a peace agreement with The Ganzi Monastery. At this time, Nona still wanted to resist stubbornly and instigate the Ganzi monks from all walks of life to block the Red Army, but the Ganzi Monastery monks took the initiative to cooperate with the Red Army and completely annihilated the Nona Einsatzgruppen at Rongpacha.