For centuries, Buddhists searching for spiritual guidance have been challenged by the notion that anyone, even a prostitute, might be a living Buddha. Thanks to a new Chinese government website, determining whether someone can lead you toward enlightenment is now a simple matter of punching​ in​ a name -- or, if you have it, a living-Buddha registration number.

China’s first nationwide living-Buddha authentication database went live on Monday, a month after the country’s religious authorities announced they would make the...