‘Two days were unbearably boring — sutras were killing me’
Print Edition
The hectic pace of urban life, high family expectations, messy personal relations, and long work and study hours have put people under unbearable pressure.
To help them handle stress, anxiety and frustration, various Zen Buddhist lectures, practice sessions and meditation programs are offered, some costing more than 100,000 yuan (US$16,390) for only two weeks. Many people pay more for Zen classes in India and Thailand.
Many Chinese temples and religious shrines have launched Zen classes, charging from 500 to 1,000 yuan for a three-day stay in a temple. (The Zen Devotion Class at Ci En Temple in Zhejiang Province is free.)
Gao Xiaohui, 28, who attended a two-day Zen program in Foshan, Guangdong Province, says it was “unbearably boring,” even though she could carry her cell phone and the dorm had TV and air-conditioning.
“The one-hour sutra reciting was killing me. I didn’t have the patience. In addition, vegetables for three meals made me hungry quickly,” she recalls. “I’d rather suffer in the worldly life — at least I’ve got meat to eat.”
Gao says she would not join another Zen class.
The program’s manager, 33-year-old Zhang Guodong, calls the Zen class a new tourism trend. He once applied for a program in a temple in Hangzhou in February.
“I didn’t quite understand the sutras, but it did not matter. I talked with the abbot about my anxieties and he gave me comfort and advice, which was very enlightening,” he says. “For me it was a new way to relax and get away from the hectic life for a few days.”
However, Liu Qishan, a feng shui and Zen practitioner, frowns at these hot Zen classes. “It is a very serious decision for someone to practice Zen. You cannot just join because it’s fun or just quit because it’s hard. Are you kidding?”
“Yes, it’s kind of a fashion, especially among those who have money and time. But do they have the true heart for Zen? They do it just to escape the reality and responsibilities they are supposed to undertake,” Liu says. “On the other hand, temples that hold this kinds of events are not supposed to charge. I seriously doubt their motives.”
Ling Yan, 25, says she first started to practice Zen “blindly,” but after a two-month stay in Chiang Mai, Thailand, reading philosophy and laboring in the garden, she says she did change for the better.
“My parents were strongly opposed to my practicing Zen, but now they are at least neutral because they also feel the positive change in me. Now I like to help others and get joy from it,” she says. “If that’s a change for the better, why not continue?”
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