39 minutes ago, ronaldo0 said:

I thought monks were meant to have to materialistic belongings and take nothing to do with money etc ?

Yet they all seem to have several of the latest phones , ray ban sunglasses , smoke , have houses and even cars ! 

You are mistaking real Buddhism with what ever religion it is that they follow here!

4 hours ago, JoePai said:

and why was the cash not in a bank - answers on a postcard please

Along with the jewels?

19 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

32 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Does that mean it's only susceptible to attack only from aliens?

That must mean we're ahead of the game for once.

I think that's only a myth!

Oh. if it's only a myth then I'm miffed.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

But 300,000 baht stashed at the head of the bed was stolen. 

" And they had me bloody Buckfast away n'all .. 

 

 

No doubt there are many in need in the catchment area of this temple, yet they hoard their money and gems instead of giving to the people. Utter hypocrites. And aren't monks forbidden to handle money? In the real world, that is, not in Thai Buddhism which we know is different. At least they rarely go around killing people, like the monks in Myanmar.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

two safes inside the bedroom had also been forced.

so were these two safes broken into  ?

if so,  what is it with Thai safes ....  are they made of plastic because a maid got into one last week.

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

The gullibility and acceptance of the Thai people of these orange clad freeloading clowns is truly outstanding

That's Religion for ya, Complete Brainwashing to Part with you're Food and Cash.

No Credit cards or Cheques. 

A fair bit of Cash and Bling to have laying around.

Must be for all the Bargirls and Dope /Bribing/power & corruption.

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

Perhaps you mean 'books' like American author L. Ron Hubbard who wrote science fiction books.

Then he said the way to make real money was to start a religion, so he started scientology which proved him correct.

Same-same but different.

Smart move he did .. Maybe got the idea after looking at Cornflakes packets that have 'free' football sticker included to boost sales.

 

Much better idea to include a 'free religion' with a every book sold ....  Once you are hooked ... Well you need to keep them contributions coming to ensure salvation and true enlightenment. 

So there's CCTV but no image of the possible thief?

This is the first temple I've seen in Thailand that had a safe.  Seen some in the US but never Thailand.  Why would a temple need a safe?  

9 hours ago, AlfHuy said:

he looks farang

looks like s Thaskin relative

 

2 hours ago, khaowong1 said:

This is the first temple I've seen in Thailand that had a safe.  Seen some in the US but never Thailand.  Why would a temple need a safe?  

Because temples are cash only businesses. 

10 hours ago, colinneil said:

Leaving behind his saffron robes.

What the hell was all that money and jewels doing there in the first place?

I think the abbot is telling porkies, probably a few thousand baht, but exaggerated to make it sound worse.

And a safe??

6 hours ago, rvaviator said:

Smart move he did .. Maybe got the idea after looking at Cornflakes packets that have 'free' football sticker included to boost sales.

 

Much better idea to include a 'free religion' with a every book sold ....  Once you are hooked ... Well you need to keep them contributions coming to ensure salvation and true enlightenment. 

Perhaps they could sell Duk Dik candy with a free amulet in each box. 

 

22 hours ago, clos88 said:

the new normal thanks to the overreactive government shutdowns.  FOR all those in favor of this insane overreach ...this is just the beginning. 

 

when people have lost everything

and have nothing to loose ..... 

they loose it.   

 

 

The type of person who robs a wat isn't someone who has "lost everything", because they usually never had anything to begin with. It is most often a crime of opportunity and  typically involves someone who has a drug or alcohol dependency.  The last chap who robbed a wat was a 42 year old  loser who blew his money on hookers.  Hardly someone who was taking care of his family or  needing to pay for medical treatment was it?

there is no  "over reactive government shutdown' in Thailand.

 

And there is no "insane over reach" as you so hysterically  call it. Thailand's businesses are open, with retail shops and restaurant carrying. Do you see any Covid19 related curfews or forced lockdowns? Some foreign visitors may be unable to fly in, but this is a reasonable precaution that  is supported by the people of Thailand and  by much of the  population  of the source countries.  Because you and a  relatively small number of people are unhappy does not mean that everyone else is wrong or that there is an evil plot afoot.  

What were they going to use all of this for?

 

Monks are not in need of money-it should never have accumulated-why are they not feeding and housing the needy with this?

 

The old chestnut of "no honor among thieves" comes to mind. 

21 hours ago, whaleboneman said:

Because temples are cash only businesses. 

Almost every temple I know, that is on the up and up, take their extra cash to the bank before the end of the day.  Never kept it overnight. 

7 hours ago, Redline said:

What were they going to use all of this for?

 

Monks are not in need of money-it should never have accumulated-why are they not feeding and housing the needy with this?

 

That was a question I always asked, and never got a direct answer.  One of the reasons I left the monk hood.  

15 minutes ago, khaowong1 said:

7 hours ago, Redline said:

What were they going to use all of this for?

Monks are not in need of money-it should never have accumulated-why are they not feeding and housing the needy with this?

That was a question I always asked, and never got a direct answer.  One of the reasons I left the monk hood.  

I'd be interested in reading a slightly more detailed answer.

Was this in the US or Thailand, what exactly did you ask, and what were the replies?

 

9 hours ago, Redline said:

What were they going to use all of this for?

 

Monks are not in need of money-it should never have accumulated-why are they not feeding and housing the needy with this?

 

Because the original message and religion has mutated in most cases here to be a money making business. 

On 8/20/2020 at 7:50 AM, bluesofa said:

I'd be interested in reading a slightly more detailed answer.

Was this in the US or Thailand, what exactly did you ask, and what were the replies?

 

In Thailand.  I was a monk in a temple in Lopburi Province for 7 years.  I basically asked, why we weren't doing more to help the poor and needy.  I pretty much got back the answer, we are doing all we can but there's too many of them.  And I basically didn't see we were helping much at all, except praying for their souls and health.  And here's the thing.  If you really dig down on the teachings of Buddha, and I did, Buddhist monks are not really preachers or health care workers.  We are monks and live the life as monks according to the statutes, to better our own lives and supposedly set an example for others to follow. If you go way back and look at the life of Buddha and his famous followers back then, they didn't build homes for the poor, nor did they distribute food, clothing and medicine for the poor. What they did was teach about love, honesty, caring for each other by setting an example of how to live.  That's it.  I got out for family reasons or I would probably still be there in Lopburi.  And probably still asking the question, can't we do more?  

2 hours ago, khaowong1 said:

In Thailand.  I was a monk in a temple in Lopburi Province for 7 years.  I basically asked, why we weren't doing more to help the poor and needy.  I pretty much got back the answer, we are doing all we can but there's too many of them.  And I basically didn't see we were helping much at all, except praying for their souls and health.  And here's the thing.  If you really dig down on the teachings of Buddha, and I did, Buddhist monks are not really preachers or health care workers.  We are monks and live the life as monks according to the statutes, to better our own lives and supposedly set an example for others to follow. If you go way back and look at the life of Buddha and his famous followers back then, they didn't build homes for the poor, nor did they distribute food, clothing and medicine for the poor. What they did was teach about love, honesty, caring for each other by setting an example of how to live.  That's it.  I got out for family reasons or I would probably still be there in Lopburi.  And probably still asking the question, can't we do more?  

Thanks for your informative answer.

I'm an atheist, but appreciate what you've said. I won't go OT criticising religion, but I'm glad you asked questions about what was going on to help people.

On 8/20/2020 at 11:28 PM, jak2002003 said:

Because the original message and religion has mutated in most cases here to be a money making business. 

I seems like corruption and thieving to me

  Sounds like an inside job to me.  Whoever "stole" it knew too much, maybe the abbott himself.

20 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Thanks for your informative answer.

I'm an atheist, but appreciate what you've said. I won't go OT criticising religion, but I'm glad you asked questions about what was going on to help people.

I'll tell you something Bluesofa, nobody really knows for sure what happens to us after we die.  Nobody.  The Buddha was asked that question once, and he replied, and I paraphrase here, "don't worry about it, you'll be dead.  Try to be a better person while your alive." 

11 hours ago, khaowong1 said:

I'll tell you something Bluesofa, nobody really knows for sure what happens to us after we die.  Nobody.  The Buddha was asked that question once, and he replied, and I paraphrase here, "don't worry about it, you'll be dead.  Try to be a better person while your alive." 

Sounds to me like he had a very dry sense of humour.

I would like the opportunity to visit his birthplace in Lumphini - out of interest.
Here's my little dig: So far, any Thai I have asked about Lumphini tell me it's in Bangkok. Asking them if there's another one, or if they know the origin of the word, has always resulted in a blank look.
 

I know there's the forever ongoing discussion regarding whether buddhism is a religion or a philosophy. As a philosophy I like it, but not what it's sadly evolved to become in Thailand - a money making business, no different to any other religion.

11 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Sounds to me like he had a very dry sense of humour.

I would like the opportunity to visit his birthplace in Lumphini - out of interest.
Here's my little dig: So far, any Thai I have asked about Lumphini tell me it's in Bangkok. Asking them if there's another one, or if they know the origin of the word, has always resulted in a blank look.
 

I know there's the forever ongoing discussion regarding whether buddhism is a religion or a philosophy. As a philosophy I like it, but not what it's sadly evolved to become in Thailand - a money making business, no different to any other religion.

He didn't have some kind of wishy washy attitude, that's for sure.  He always talked about today, not tomorrow.  Talking about Lumphini, most Thai's and pretty much all Thai monks, believed that the Buddha wandered around Thailand.  There's 2 places around Thailand where they swear he left his footprint.  And these places have a temple built around the so called footprint.  I've been to one.  

Wat Phra Phutthabat

 

Phra Phutthabat District in Thailand. The district is named after the Wat Phra Phutthabat, meaning temple of Buddha's footprint. In the 17th century a hunter found a puddle of water which looked like a (oversized) footprint. It was declared a footprint of Buddha and the temple was built around it.

 

So, there you go. This place is in Saraburi in case you want to go see it.  

13 hours ago, khaowong1 said:

He didn't have some kind of wishy washy attitude, that's for sure.  He always talked about today, not tomorrow.  Talking about Lumphini, most Thai's and pretty much all Thai monks, believed that the Buddha wandered around Thailand.  There's 2 places around Thailand where they swear he left his footprint.  And these places have a temple built around the so called footprint.  I've been to one.  

Wat Phra Phutthabat

 

Phra Phutthabat District in Thailand. The district is named after the Wat Phra Phutthabat, meaning temple of Buddha's footprint. In the 17th century a hunter found a puddle of water which looked like a (oversized) footprint. It was declared a footprint of Buddha and the temple was built around it.

 

So, there you go. This place is in Saraburi in case you want to go see it.  

Hmm, isn't that almost verging on idol worship? Why would it be 'oversized' - I thought buddha was a mortal?

 

I did search to find how many countries claim to have buddha footprints. Not a clear answer. Even someone claiming buddha was born in Sri Lanka (not Nepal) and never left that country.

 

9 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Hmm, isn't that almost verging on idol worship? Why would it be 'oversized' - I thought buddha was a mortal?

 

I did search to find how many countries claim to have buddha footprints. Not a clear answer. Even someone claiming buddha was born in Sri Lanka (not Nepal) and never left that country.

 

Yep, pretty darn close to idol worshipping.  Sri Lanka has always claimed high status on something.  There, you can still be put in jail for disrespecting the Buddha and his images, statues, etc.