Resetting the Soul

The rapid pace of urbanization and industrialization is like a coin with two faces. On one side， Chinese are enjoying a more convenient， wealthier lifestyle； while on the other， people are stressed-out due to the challenges that come with modern society.

Increasingly tired of city life， more and more people desire a quiet place to understand the nature of life afresh. To Chinese， from time immemorial Buddhist monasteries have provided a space in which to break from the secular world. Nowadays， many such temples across China offer opportunities to experience the lifestyle of monks， whereby people learn classical philosophy， recite Buddhist scripture， meditate and follow a vegetarian diet.

On July 11， Lingyin Temple， one of China’s most famous Buddhist monasteries， located in Hangzhou， east China’s Zhejiang Province， recently launched its first Zen summer camp for university students. Zen， which means prolonged and intense contemplation， is an important aspect in understanding the doctrine of Buddhism.

According to monastery Master Zhizhong， the camp is aimed at teaching young undergraduates classical Buddhism pertaining to filial duties， gratitude and happiness alongside the theme of Harmonious Society and Wisdom.

The three-day event lasted from August 3 to 5. During this time， the monastery ran a number of classes focused on the rites of Buddhism， reciting scripture and physical work. As a free public event， both food and lodgings were provided to applicants.

“We hope young people can experience and better understand Buddhism through this training event，” Zhizhong said.

“For a long time， Buddhism has been misunderstood by people as simply a collection of rites such as burning joss sticks and kowtowing in front of Buddhist statues， while it in fact enjoys deep cultural traditions and philosophy.”

Zhizhong added that rapid economic development has boosted material interests， which have， along with the worship of money， negatively affected society， especially the youth. The summer camp aims to reinstate a spiritual outlook among the young people of today， he explained.

Lingyin Temple was first built in 328. As a historical vestige， it has accumulated a rich array of precious cultural relics spanning a period of over 1，000 years. Thanks to its high status among Buddhists in China， the temple is also an important research institution.

Strong demand

Similarly， the Cien Temple， located in Tiantai County of Zhejiang， on June 28 announced the launch of its own short-term religious experience. Subsequent applications have all but crashed the monastery’s website. By early July， over 1，000 people had signed up， which meant the enrollment limit had to be pushed up.

This temple offers periodic meditation classes that range between three months， six months， one year and two years. Unlike real monks， participants are not completely isolated from the outside world， being able to use the Internet， computers， cell phones and other smart devices. What’s more， the monastery also provides free board and lodging.

Master Zhidu， the abbot of the temple， said the monastery held these events since 2006 due to popular demand amongst believers.

“The Zen class aims to help participants develop a more positive attitude toward the nature of life.”

However， because of the abundant number of applicants and limited resources， the temple has decided to postpone this year’s event pending further notice.

“There are two reasons for the suspension，”Master Zhidu wrote in a letter to the public. “One is security concerns raised by excessive participants， while the other is an overabundance of attention， which we want to avoid. After all， a Buddist monastery should be a quiet place for meditation. Crowded visitors would disturb the routine of the temple.”

Many applicants， apart from curiosity， are willing to become full-time monks or nuns in the future， but they would prefer to experience such life first.

Master Zhidu admitted that some people want to escape the secular world by joining monasteries， but they should not do so for negative reasons. According to the master， true Buddhists should remain active in life and society.

“Some people might misunderstand the aim of the class. We invite secular people to experience our way of daily life in order to help them understand the true meaning of existence，” Zhidu stressed.

Of course， some applicants are only interested in a free trip to Cien Temple， the master added， but these do not last long. The monastery has strict rules and disciplines regulating participation. For example， the temple forbid the consumption of meat and liquor. Though the temple is provided with WiFi and Internet facilities， such services are only available at set times.

According to the master， many people could not stick it out during the Zen class. Even though they finished the class， they aren’t interested in participating in the event again.

“After all， the experience of being a monk is not easy for the secular people who have been used to unconstrained way of life，” Zhidu said.

Zen’s effect

In recent years， many Buddhist monasteries across China have opened their doors to believers as well as those in search of spiritual fulfillment.

Ma Liang， a professor of public administration at Zhejiang Gongshang University， said the experience of practicing Buddhism is gaining popularity among urbanites， especially youngsters. “This phenomenon indicates the need to release daily pressures.”

“People are likely to lose themselves in the stress of pursuing specific goals. In particular， social competition is fierce amidst rapid development，” Ma added.

For example， more than half the applicants at the Cien Temple are aged between 20 and 30， with about 200 applicants being senior executives. Many said they face great pressure at work and hope to obtain spiritual enrichment and reach inner peace through visiting the monastery.

Buddhism， by doctrine， teaches believers to display tolerance toward all things. In particular， after years of cultivation in the monastery， monks should be more tolerant of the world.

“Currently， many people want to refresh their minds and rebuild their spiritual worlds via meditation， with the anxiety of modern life having such a great impact on health，” said Yang Jianhua， a researcher at Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences.

“Though people hardly meditate everyday， it is important to find a quiet environment to reflect. In this regard， Buddhist monasteries are ideal.”