‘Grasshopper, turn off the mobile’: Chinese Shaolin monk and the temptation of cell phones

A Shaolin monk has sat in the lotus position in the lobby of an office building in central China for several hours, urging passers-by to turn off their mobile phones and hand them in for the day.

The aim was to raise awareness of people’s addiction to using cell phones, according to the news website 163.com.

The monk was accompanied by four young novices and a sign behind them in the building in Zhengzhou in Henan province said, “Let it go”.

The exercise in passing on Buddhist enlightenment also provided a useful promotional opportunity, the report suggested.

People putting their phones in a locker between 10am and 6pm on Tuesday were rewarded with a ticket worth 198 yuan (HK$240) to watch a music and kung fu show at a nearby Shaolin temple.

The offer appeared to find few takers, the article said.