Like all Buddhist monks, Yancan spends most of his day seeking enlightenment.

But unlike most monks, Yancan sometimes stays up until midnight using Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese micro blogging site, to spread the word of Buddhism among his million-plus followers.

Yancan is the abbot of the Shuiyue Monastery in East China's Hebei province. For over 20 years, the Zen monk has passed his knowledge on through sermons and lectures. But now, the power of the Internet has given Yancan a new avenue through which to spread his wisdom.

Yancan first rose to online prominence last week, when a video of him being harassed by monkeys near E'Mei Mountain, a sacred Buddhist site, was uploaded to the Internet.

Yancan quickly amassed a large following on Sina Weibo, with his posts forwarded thousands of times over since the video's debut, helping him to bring his thoughts on Buddhism to a much larger audience.

"I only hope to shore up positive energy on the web, where people vent too much anger and frustration," Yancan said.

Yancan has written more than 11,000 posts since opening his Sina Weibo account two years ago. Most of his posts reflect a Buddhist interpretation of common life issues, ranging from the pains of growing up to dealing with the national college entrance exams.

"Life inspires me, and then I write what comes to my mind," the monk said.

Yancan's positive approach stands out among the extreme displays of anger and verbal abuse that are common to Sina Weibo and other social messaging sites. His humorous demeanor and laid-back approach have charmed the public as well, as his attitude is not like that of most monks.

"Life itself is too serious, so I try my best not to be," Yancan said.

Yancan recently conducted an online interview on Sina Weibo, inviting netizens to ask him questions about his life and work. He received about 30,000 queries, responding to many in typically witty fashion.

According to one of Yancan's disciples, the master has received numerous interview requests, as well as book offers from about 40 publishers, since the video was uploaded.

Yancan has not been spared from doubt or criticism. Some have described him as being "ignorant of his proper duties" and even accused him of lacking "Buddhist purity."

The criticism has confused the monk. "Isn't it a good thing? Everybody laughs and no one gets hurt," he said. "I am duty-bound to propagate Buddhism. The new age needs us to change."

Yancan said he hopes his popularity will give a boost to his temple's charitable work.

"But I have set no goals. I follow karma," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2012)

跟所有佛教僧人一样，延参法师的大部分时间都在求悟。

但他又和大多数僧人不一样，有时候会玩新浪微博到午夜。借助这个国内颇受欢迎的社交网站，他向数百万的粉丝们传播着佛教教义。

延参法师是河北省沧州市水月寺的住持。20多年来，法师通过说教和讲座传播佛教思想；如今，神奇的网络为延参法师指明了一条全新的大道去传播他的睿智。

上周，自打他在佛教圣地峨眉山遭猴子戏谑的视频传到网上后，延参法师一跃成为了网络红人。

自从该视频发布以来，法师很快在新浪微博上吸引了一大批粉丝，他的微博随之被转发了数万次，佛教思想也因此普及到更多网民。

“微博上有很多负面的情绪和信息，我希望能给大家一些正面的能量。”延参法师说。

延参法师两年前开通新浪微博账户，目前已经发布了11000多条信息，其中大部分都是对生命的佛学阐释，包括成长的痛苦以及如何应对高考等。

“生活给了我启迪，而我将自己的心境写了下来。”法师说道。

新浪微博和一些社交网站往往成为人们表达愤怒、口头谩骂的一个很极端的平台，延参法师的积极心态一下子脱颖而出。与大部分僧人不同，他幽默的举止和淡定的姿态迷倒了众人。

“生活本身就太严肃了，所以我尽力不要把它看得很严肃。”延参法师这么说。

近日，延参法师在新浪微博上发起了一个在线访谈，邀请网民们就他的生活和工作发问。他收到了近3万个问题，其中很多都以诙谐幽默的方式给出了回答。

据延参法师的一位弟子透露，自从视频上传网络以来，大师接到了无数的采访请求，40家出版商向他抛出了橄榄枝。

延参法师也免不了引来一翻质疑和非议。有人说他“不务正业”，甚至指责他“六根不净”。

这样的非议使法师很困惑。“这有什么不好呢？大家都被逗乐了，也没有人受到伤害。”他说，“宣传佛教，我义不容辞。新的时代需要我们做出改变。”

延参法师希望他的名气可以更好地带动寺庙里的慈善工作。

“不过，我没有设定目标，一切随缘。”他说。

（China.org.cn Wendy 译）