This article critiquing the Shaolin Monastery popped on my “Buddhar” the other day:
In recent years, Shaolin monks from China have gained an international reputation for their physical endurance and feats of kung fu skill. Shaolin monk troupes have toured the world, and Shaolin temples have become a common destination for foreign travelers, with some staying for extended periods.
But while the temple’s fancy tricks have won many a heart abroad, Buddhist circles in China are less than impressed, with almost 95 per cent of participants in an online survey saying monks should not immerse themselves in worldly ways.
Many believe the Shaolin have abandoned their monastic traditions of leaving the world and severing worldly desires and pursuits, and have become a tourist recreation center obsessed with money and reputation.
Is being popular and making money incongruent with being on the path? Safe to say that exposing your ego to success and fame doesn’t make things easier. Yet that’s what we lay practitioners try to do also. How much easier it would be to just be an ordinary monk. : )
