0106 Shaolin SUV

Should monks and modernity mix? This is the question being asked around Henan province now that the head abbot of the Shaolin monastery has been given a $125,000 SUV as a perk for boosting local tourism. You may remember Shaolin monastery as the birthplace of kung fu and the eponymous Shaolin of the film Shaolin Soccer. Despite these worldly connections, some feel the gift of a luxury Sports Utility Vehicle is at odds with a monk’s vow of poverty and austerity. We don’t know about that: sure, Buddhism’s Eightfold Path is the one to follow if you want to achieve enlightenment, but nowhere does it say that you can’t drive down it. #ceas #china #hacker #tsutsui