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Despite being known in the past for their asceticism, it looks like a new breed of monk is out to "have fun." Chinese monks seem to have given up their wooden bowls for much more "fashionable" accessories - fast cars and women.
On pictures from MOP.com and Sohu, it seems that some monks were caught driving an Audi A6 with girls coming along as passengers. It seems that they were stuck in traffic and the monk in the driver's seat was calling for help.
As per usual, our dear old netizens had something to say about the matter:
"我靠,要是当ZD分子能有这么好的待遇,那ZD分子就太多了, 俺都想去. "
"Holy. If being a Xizang monk can have so many good treats, there would be more Xizang monks! I want be one."
"现在的和尚是职业的，可以娶妻生子，有钱的很"
"Nowadays, monk is a profession. They can get married and have kids, and they are rich!"
"白天是和尚晚上是色鬼,现在的女人;谁有钱就跟谁,世道真变了,是大款养了这些杂人呀. "
"During the day they are monks, during the night they are perverts. Women nowadays don't care who they're following as long as they have money. The world has really changed, it's the wealthy who have raised these trashy people."
"喇嘛不是和尚，不要弄混。不是一回事。藏教不是佛教。"
"Lama isn't a monk, don't get confused. It's not the same thing. Tibetan Buddhism isn't regular Buddhism."
"是喇嘛，有钱的女人现在都找喇嘛修炼密宗"
"It's a Lama. Rich women nowadays always look for Lamas for tantric practice."
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One thing about Buddhism is that it does not have a strict or fixed dogma. Obviously if you live a luxury life, it contradicts some of Buddha's basic teachings, for example, with respect to desires and being free from it blah blah etc. Of course Sakayamuni himself asked his followers not to treat him as a divinity. Despite the fact that the Mahayana tradition calls for the refrain in killing (animals or otherwise), the Dalai Lama, for example, loves to eat veal. Not only that, the Dalai Lamas live in relative opulence with palaces and monasteries at their disposal, contrary to the modest living espoused by Sayamuni's teachings.
Morever, most Chinese Buddhist Mahayana Buddhists do not use the red Ochre type robes. These kind of robes are normally won by those practicing Tibetan Buddhism. But again, we don't know wheteher these are real monks.
Don't we all yearn for the good old days of Shaolin? Is it not an virtually impossible standard to live up to in this day and age? Buddha be praised . . .