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Nicolas Pike, 52, formally became the first foreign disciple of Tongyong, a 108-year-old renowned Buddhist monk on Mount Emei last Tuesday when he prostrated himself before the figure of Buddha in Baoguo Temple.
Pike, from Pittsburgh in the United States, fell in love with Emei, one of the four mountain ranges in China held sacred by Buddhists.
Mount Emei is located in southwestern Sichuan Province, about 155 kilometers southeast of the provincial capital Chengdu.
Pike has been in Sichuan for two years, claiming that he has traveled to all the famous mountains and rivers in the province.
He teaches at the South-west China Jiaotong University in Sichuan and lives near the Baoguo Temple at the foot of Mount Emei, where he strolls every morning, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the tranquility.
Interested in Chinese philosophy, especially Buddhism, Pike made up his mind to convert to Buddhism and follow Tongyong as his master after he met him some months ago.
(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2003)
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