SEEKING PEACE OF MIND
Master Zhidu said the popularity of the short-term monk program is a reflection of how many urbanites are anxious to escape the stresses and material trappings of city life.
"Many people regard the short-term monkhood as a cultivated way to reduce pressures," the abbot said. "The simple and frugal life of monks that is very different from the materialistic modern life can also prompt soul-searching."
Geng Jing, a sociology professor at Shanghai University, said many urban Chinese are in dire need of tranquil states of mind, as fast-paced modern life affords them no time for philosophical thought.
"Buddhism was born in a slow-paced agricultural society, and its focus on life and death and other philosophical issues has appealed to many modern people," Geng said.
But the overnight popularity of the program has also raised doubt about its purported mind-purifying effects, while others have expressed concern that the influx of insincere vacationers will disturb the peace of the Buddhist shrines and even lead to a commercialization of the religious practice.
"Without cutting off their worldly links, I doubt the secular participants would concentrate on Buddhist learning, and the use of computers may have further compromising effects," said Master Huiguang of Nanshan Temple in Wutai Mountain, Shanxi Province.
However, Han Jianggen, vice secretary general of the Buddhist Association of Wutai Mountain, believes the program will benefit all participants, whether they are sincere Buddhist devotees or those simply hoping for a break from reality.
"Strict rules help nurture good habits, while simple lives allow us to cool down our minds to better reflex on ourselves," Han said.
People enjoy time at old teahouse in Kashgar, NW China's Xinjiang
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