In the suburb of Lhasa, a young monk named Tashi sat cross-legged on the bed of his quarters. His hands count prayer beads, but his eyes were watching the screen of his cell phone, which is currently playing the movie "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

Each day after his classes have finished, spending the evening watching movies has become Tashi’s favorite hobby. He is deeply attracted to the story of gorillas attacking humans presented in the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". In Tashi’s eyes, watching movies is a way of studying his life.

"Buddhism teaches that all life is sacred, and calls on all people to respect nature," he says.

Like Tashi, Sera Monastery, one of the three monasteries in Lhasa, is full of monks who also greatly enjoy watching films.

Since 2013, the 3G signal has become available in the temples. Thus, using cell phones to watch movies has become part of the monks’ daily lives.

Since leaving home at the age of 16, monk Jampa has lived in the monastery for more than thirty years. Waking up at 6 a.m., he has classes from 8:30 to 11:30a.m., and discusses scriptures from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.. From 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., he reviews what he has learned during the day.

In Jampa’s quarters, his tidy desk is stacked with books on Buddhist theories, astronomy, Tibetan medicine, and English study. A copy of "Cambridge International English" is well-worn and wrinkled.

"I like watching films, and I long to understand different cultures, so in the monastery I study Chinese and English," he says.

"During the day, we need to study sutras, and at night, after we have reviewed the day’s learned materials, a good film not only enriches our nightlife, but also broadens our knowledge," Jampa says.

"There are people who say that it is not appropriate for monks to watch movies, and that it will reduce the quality of learning," says Kalsang Wangdu, vice president of the Tibetan Buddhist College, "But I think that the study of Buddhism and life are closely intertwined. Movies are inspired by real life and portray a higher form of life."

He also said that monks can learn from movies and combine it with what they have learned about Buddhism, using Buddhist doctrine to analyze what they see, which is also a learning progress.

"We can’t demand that monks part with society," he added.

Tibet currently has 500 film projection teams and nearly 8,000 sites in rural areas. The digital films have been available to all administrative villages. Therefore, Buddhism believers who do not possess smart phones can also have opportunities to watch digital films with vivid pictures and clear voices.

Ganden Monastery monk Tsering Dawa is a movie fan. In 2009, the Tibetan Autonomous Region Film Screening Company and the Lhasa Motion Picture Company donated expensive projection equipment to the Ganden Monastery.

Films allow the nights of monks to be filled with more than just the glow of lanterns. Movies allow them to learn more about the world. Thashi, who has seen the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" no less than three times, feels that monks and ordinary people are the same in terms of finding something new which is exciting and interesting. Little by little, these films are illuminating the nights of monks.