century, Buddhists have turned to such reform monks
to meet the challenge of finding new sources of rev-
enue with the emergence of radically different national
economies, and of opposing or incorporating new in-
tellectual and social trends, including socialism, fem-
inism, and the findings of modern science. Leading
Buddhist monks now establish universities and hos-
pitals, instigate missionary programs abroad, and at
times exercise considerable political influence. In Tai-
wan and Sri Lanka, monks have stood for political of-
fice. Less directly, but more importantly, leading
monks shape the political opinions of their followers
and control substantial economic resources. While
some express discomfort with the prestige and power
that accrue to institutional leaders, seemingly at odds
with the traditional monastic imperative to renounce
such values, others see them as admirable and neces-
sary for protecting and disseminating Buddhist beliefs
and practices.
Eccentrics and degenerates
Standing outside these conventional types, on the mar-
gins of the monastic community, are monks known
for their eccentricity. The “holy fool,” a monk who ap-
pears to be mad or stupid but is in fact enlightened, is
a stock figure in much of Buddhist art and literature.
Such figures are often credited with supernatural pow-
ers to foresee the future, heal the sick, and influence
the weather. The fifth-century Chinese thaumaturge,
Baozhi, for instance, was known to wander the streets
making incomprehensible statements. Only later were
his statements understood to have predicted impor-
tant events. In modern times, some monks are known
for their bizarre, unpredictable behavior and willing-
ness to break monastic regulations on the grounds that
a full appreciation of doctrines of nonduality and
emptiness renders conventional restrictions moot. At-
titudes toward such figures are necessarily ambivalent,
as it is often difficult to distinguish between an en-
lightened holy man, beyond the ken of ordinary
morals, and a charlatan.Individual monks may be more drawn to one of the
types of monks described above over another, but few
monks would openly challenge the legitimacy of any
of them: Ascetics, scholars, institutional leaders, andMONKSMonks at a ceremony at Biechuan Monastery, Guangdong, China, 1987. © Don Farber 2003. All rights reserved. Reproduced by per-
mission.