Simple life of lama who loves to teach

CHENGDE, Hebei: Every Wednesday at 5 am at Puning Monastery, the largest of its kind in north China and home to the world's largest gold-lacquered wood carving Bodhisattva, goddess of mercy, the lamas start their day when the bell tolls 108 times.

"Tolling the bell 108 times helps release us from 108 kinds of sub-celestial woes," Losang Shiqung, a 45-year-old lama dressed in a red cassock, said.

"Sutra (Buddha's doctrine) says, on hearing the bell, woes vanish, wisdom blooms and bodhi (enlightenment) grows."