Temple retreat a hot pursuit

Temporary monk offer overruns monastery with unexpected flood of spiritual seekers

An offer for spiritual seekers to become "temporary monks and nuns" at a temple in Tiantai Mountain, Zhejiang province, has turned the holy place's virtual world into a madhouse.

Earlier this week, Ci'en Temple announced on its website that it was looking for 20 people to participate in its short-term program to learn about Buddhism and temporarily become a member of the temple's order. Word of the program spread quickly and by Thursday, more than 500 people had applied for the program.