From the HuffingtonPost:

More than 300 nuns and monks convened in a Seoul temple on Thursday to participate in a prayer competition hosted by the Jogye Order, Korea’s largest Buddhist organization. While most recited traditional prayers, several brave nuns took to the stage with rap and hip hop performances.

A group of three nuns performed a variation on the classic Heart Sutra, beating on traditional drums and rapping their own lyrics: “Great wisdom, perfect wisdom. Buddha’s teachings that show you the way!”

One nun, Hye-Kang, told AFP that the alternative performance was aimed at attracting a more youthful following to Buddhism. “I wanted more young people to take an interest in Buddhism and the message of its prayers,” she said.

A senior member of the Jogye Order and one of the judges of Thursday’s event, Venerable Yin-Mook, agreed with Hye-Kang’s sentiments. “We wanted to let people, especially young people and children, know Yumbul (Buddhist prayers) can be more interesting and easier to practice than they think,” he told AFP.

A prize of three million won, or roughly $2,900, was at stake for Thursday’s competition.