To properly distinguish real Living Buddhas from fake ones, a database of legitimate Living Buddhas in China will be made available to the public, according to a report by China Daily.
The move was announced by Zhu Weiqun, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee, on China Central Television over the weekend.
Aside from providing confusion among followers of Tibetan Buddhism, fake Living Buddhas also pose a threat to China's national security.
According to officials, fake Living Buddhas are used to collect funds that go to illegal or separatist activities in Tibet.
There have also been other reports of people using fake Living Buddhas to cheat other people out of their savings or bait them into performing sexual activities with religious practice as an excuse.
In China, Living Buddhas have popped up. A video footage of 39-year-old Baima Aose, a self-proclaimed Living Buddha, ordaining actor Zhang Tielin as a Living Buddha in Hong Kong last October went viral only recently.
According to Baima, he became a Living Buddha after another Living Buddha from Katuo Monastery in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, ordained him in Hong Kong in 2012.
However, the Katuo Monastery denied Baima's claim, further saying that Baima falsified documents to make it seem like his status as a Living Buddha is legitimate.
As a result, Han Chinese followers were deceived. The monastery's reputation was also damaged.
To become a Living Buddha, an individual must go through a strict and lengthy selection procedure. Most people ordained as Living Buddhas are from the Tibetan ethnic group. To date, there are 358 Living Buddhas in the Tibet Autonomous Region.