- Venerable Huayan, a senior Chinese monk, openly discusses his love for gaming and Counter-Strike
- He views gaming and Buddhism as tools for personal growth and spiritual insight
- Huayan began gaming in primary school and became a Buddhist monk at age 15
A Buddhist monk has caught social media's attention for openly discussing his gaming hobby and love for Counter-Strike. Venerable Huayan, a senior monk based at Mingjiao Temple in Hefei, Anhui Province, China, has been playing video games ever since he was a primary school student in the early 2000s. For him, gaming and religion are two sides of the same coin, both acting as tools for personal growth and spiritual insight.
"They both require me to hone my ability to concentrate and to accept impermanence," Huayan was quoted as saying by South China Morning Post.
Born and raised in Shanghai by his divorced mother, Huayan became interested in Buddhism when he was young. He often visited the compound near his residential community where Buddhists routinely held discussions. At the age of 15, Huayan decided to take the plunge and convert to Buddhism, despite opposition from his mother, who served in the military.
While Buddhism gave him a purpose, video games remained a constant in Huayan's life. The temple he belongs to does not advocate playing video games, but it also doesn't stop him from playing them. As per Huayan, the bottom line is not to become addicted.
Despite being a monk for 20 years, Huayana is an elite Counter-Strike (CS) player -- a multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video game. He reportedly achieved the "Legendary Eagle Master" rank, a high-level classification within the game during his peak.
While some question him for playing a game that involves blood and death, Huayan argues that 'kiling' is an essential part of improving your gaming ability.
“Killing in the games is a necessary method to improve your gaming ability. It is like beating the opposite side in a chess game. Both are allowed under Buddhist rules,” he said.
“According to their logic, people playing the part of a doctor soldier in another game and only saving others will go directly to heaven without practising Buddhism in the real world."
Huayan said he will not quit this hobby, as playing games helps him "communicate and cooperate" with people to achieve a win-win situation. He added that these traits are all helpful for a person's growth.
