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Qinghai monks chant sutras and surf the Net as modernity arrives
Source: Xinhua |
March 17, 2011, Thursday
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IN the past five years, spending every day chanting sutras and accompanying an old abbot in a small monastery has made Losang Samdan feel lonely.
Fortunately, a portable DVD player that supports cable TV and a mobile phone have enabled the 40-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk to keep updated with the ever-changing world.
"TV news said that Beijing had the latest winter snowfall in the past 60 years, is that true?" Losang asked after after hearing that a reporter had come from Beijing.
The Chorten Ki Temple, Losang's home, is perched halfway up a mountain in northwest China's Qinghai Province, which has the second largest Tibetan community in China.
Although the knowledgeable monk was delighted to communicate with visitors from the outside world, such opportunities were scarce in a monastery that had only two monks.
Unlike the remote Chorten Ki Monastery, the Taer Monastery, located 20 kilometers from the provincial capital of Xining City, always sees a massive influx of tourists and pilgrims throughout the year.
"In Tibetan, the word 'monastery' means a remote and unworldly place, but the trend of modernization is irresistible," said Gyaltsen Wangden, deputy head of the executive committee of the Taer Monastery.
The Taer Monastery was built at the birthplace of Tsongkhaba (1357-1419), the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
Unstoppable trend
Last year, the Taer Monastery reported ticket sales revenues of 36 million yuan (US$5.48 million). The money was used to pay every monk about 10,000 yuan in living allowances and to maintain the monastery buildings.
In 2010, the per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen in Qinghai was 3,863 yuan, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Besides allowances, the monks can earn extra income by chanting prayers for families of Tibetan Buddhist believers.
In the prominent monastery, which dates back more than 600 years, monks have adapted well to the modern lifestyle.
During breaks from studying and debating scriptures, monks take out their cell phones from cassocks to call friends. Some wealthy monks have purchased digital cameras, computers and even cars.
They are no longer hesitant when talking with tourists; some monks even request photos with foreign visitors.
"At least 70 percent of monks in the monastery have a cell phone, and many of them are able to surf the Internet in their dorms," said Gyaltsen Wangden, adding that he was a sophisticated net user.
Now, more than 40,000 monks in about 600 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Qinghai have signed up for medical insurance. Further, elderly and disabled monks enjoy a monthly subsidy of 200 yuan.
Challenges
However, the modernization has brought not only benefits, but also challenges to the monastery.
Twenty years ago, the monastery only had lamps for lighting. Now, the consumption of electricity is surging with the use of all kinds of electronic appliances.
The monthly electric bill has reached 24,000 yuan, excluding the bill for dorms for 290 monks, Gyaltsen said.
Further, mounting secular temptations have led some young monks to surf the Internet, watch movies and go skating - to the detriment of their studies.
Tsongkang Rinpoche, a living Buddha in the Taer Monastery, said, "Some young monks can't study scriptures attentively and have failed the annual exams in Tibetan language and scripture debating for five years in a row."
But in another sense, advanced communication technologies have played an important role in promoting Buddhist doctrines and cultures.
Some believe that Tibetan Buddhism and modernization can co-exist in harmony.
In fact, the balance between religion and modernization can be easily seen in the everyday life of ordinary Tibetan people.
In some prominent monasteries in Qinghai, a reporter saw well-groomed and fashionable Tibetan youths devoutly turning prayer wheels and kowtowing every day.
Fortunately, a portable DVD player that supports cable TV and a mobile phone have enabled the 40-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk to keep updated with the ever-changing world.
"TV news said that Beijing had the latest winter snowfall in the past 60 years, is that true?" Losang asked after after hearing that a reporter had come from Beijing.
The Chorten Ki Temple, Losang's home, is perched halfway up a mountain in northwest China's Qinghai Province, which has the second largest Tibetan community in China.
Although the knowledgeable monk was delighted to communicate with visitors from the outside world, such opportunities were scarce in a monastery that had only two monks.
Unlike the remote Chorten Ki Monastery, the Taer Monastery, located 20 kilometers from the provincial capital of Xining City, always sees a massive influx of tourists and pilgrims throughout the year.
"In Tibetan, the word 'monastery' means a remote and unworldly place, but the trend of modernization is irresistible," said Gyaltsen Wangden, deputy head of the executive committee of the Taer Monastery.
The Taer Monastery was built at the birthplace of Tsongkhaba (1357-1419), the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
Unstoppable trend
Last year, the Taer Monastery reported ticket sales revenues of 36 million yuan (US$5.48 million). The money was used to pay every monk about 10,000 yuan in living allowances and to maintain the monastery buildings.
In 2010, the per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen in Qinghai was 3,863 yuan, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Besides allowances, the monks can earn extra income by chanting prayers for families of Tibetan Buddhist believers.
In the prominent monastery, which dates back more than 600 years, monks have adapted well to the modern lifestyle.
During breaks from studying and debating scriptures, monks take out their cell phones from cassocks to call friends. Some wealthy monks have purchased digital cameras, computers and even cars.
They are no longer hesitant when talking with tourists; some monks even request photos with foreign visitors.
"At least 70 percent of monks in the monastery have a cell phone, and many of them are able to surf the Internet in their dorms," said Gyaltsen Wangden, adding that he was a sophisticated net user.
Now, more than 40,000 monks in about 600 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Qinghai have signed up for medical insurance. Further, elderly and disabled monks enjoy a monthly subsidy of 200 yuan.
Challenges
However, the modernization has brought not only benefits, but also challenges to the monastery.
Twenty years ago, the monastery only had lamps for lighting. Now, the consumption of electricity is surging with the use of all kinds of electronic appliances.
The monthly electric bill has reached 24,000 yuan, excluding the bill for dorms for 290 monks, Gyaltsen said.
Further, mounting secular temptations have led some young monks to surf the Internet, watch movies and go skating - to the detriment of their studies.
Tsongkang Rinpoche, a living Buddha in the Taer Monastery, said, "Some young monks can't study scriptures attentively and have failed the annual exams in Tibetan language and scripture debating for five years in a row."
But in another sense, advanced communication technologies have played an important role in promoting Buddhist doctrines and cultures.
Some believe that Tibetan Buddhism and modernization can co-exist in harmony.
In fact, the balance between religion and modernization can be easily seen in the everyday life of ordinary Tibetan people.
In some prominent monasteries in Qinghai, a reporter saw well-groomed and fashionable Tibetan youths devoutly turning prayer wheels and kowtowing every day.
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