Modern ways to study Buddhism

Tongbai (CNS) -- Monks at a newly founded Buddhist college in Henan Province are not afraid to employ hi-tech methods in their pursuit of dharma.

In well-equipped classrooms located inside Tang-style buildings, students learn English from lecturers who use iPads to illustrate scripts.

Students are also required to study 1.5 hours of "New Concept English" every Tuesday and Friday, in addition to reading English versions of the sutras and learning to appreciate classic movies.

The TED public lecture "Take 'the Other' to Lunch" by Professor Elizabeth Lesser, which addresses the "divisive tension that threatens to make modern politics impossible," is also on the agenda.

This is more than just a trend, explains the deputy dean of the college. Buddhist education should evolve along with social developments and borrow experiences from modern high-education concepts, as long as it holds true to the ultimate Buddha spirit, he adds.

Translation has long been a part of the history of the development of Buddhism, and English can serve as a useful tool to spread dharma to the rest of the world, says lecturer Lin Gu.