A novice monk uses the latest model of mobile phone. At that time, this kind of mobile phone cost a fortune and unaffordable for most people, especially in the deprived Tibet. Traditionally, the main source of income for the Buddhist monasteries is from the donation of the peasants, and monks are not supposed to be attached with materialistic world, including in possessing money and luxurious items. But in China’s Tibet, monasteries receive money from the government, and monks get monthly wages as if it’s a professional job.
Shigatse, Tibet, 2005