A senior monk in China has attracted widespread social media attention for enthusiastically playing electronic games.
Venerable Huayan, from Mingjiao Temple in Hefei in central Anhui province, has been a Buddhist monk for 20 years.
He began to play e-games when he was a primary school pupil in the early 2000s, Counter-Strike (CS) is his favourite, according to the news portal Sina.com.
Huayan once achieved the Legendary Eagle Master position, a very high ranking in CS.
He said the most expensive items he bought were computer devices which cost him 40,000 yuan (US$6,000).
The temple he belongs to neither advocates nor forbids him from playing e-games. Huayan said his bottom line is not to become addicted.
Many people say playing CS, which is a violent and bloody game, will lead him to hell because it is not something a religious man should do.
Huayan argues that it is important to distinguish the virtual from the real world.
“Killing in the games is a necessary method to improve your gaming ability. It is like beating the opposite side in a chess game. Both are allowed under Buddhist rules,” Huayan was quoted as saying.
“According to their logic, people playing the part of a doctor soldier in another game and only saving others will go directly to heaven without practising Buddhism in the real world,” he added.
Huayan said he believed his hobby was a “good activity”.
“Why should I quit this good activity? While playing games, I can communicate and cooperate with people to achieve a win-win situation. I also gain empathy for others. These traits are all helpful for a person’s growth,” he said.
Huayan, who is in his 30s, was born and raised in Shanghai by his divorced mother.
He became interested in Buddhism when he was young. There was a compound near his residential community where lay Buddhists held discussions and he often visited there.
When Huayan decided to convert to Buddhism at the age of 15, his mother, who was a military official, strongly opposed it.
He then left home and travelled to temples in faraway cities multiple times, but his mother always brought him back.
She finally compromised and agreed to his commitment to Buddhism three years later.
Huayan said e-games and religion play the same role in helping him on his journey of self-discovery.
“They both require me to hone my ability to concentrate and to accept impermanence,” he said. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
