Within the first 2 weeks after the end of Buddhist Lent, new clusters in Tod Kathin festivals were reported from 7 provinces, causing the Ministry of Public Health and many medical personals to warn people to be more cautious joining the festival.

 

Meanwhile, some temples avoided taking risks by accepting merit money through ‘Online Tod Kathin’. Still, many Buddhists gathered up and arranged the festival.

 

Anchalee Boonyookong, head of Baan Wang Dokmai Volunteers and one of the Buddhists who join the Tod Kathin festival at Wang Dokmai temple, explained that Tod Kathin is one of the annual religious ceremonies which Thai Buddhists have been arranging for generations and it is also the responsibility of the Buddhists in each village to nourish their temple.

 

Phra Palad Visitha Deshavaro, the abbot of Wang Dokmai temple, suggested people be conscious and not be afraid, adding that by being conscious and learning all the facts in detail, everyone would be able to prevent themselves from any epidemics and dangers.

 

-- © Copyright A24 News Agency 2021-11-22

 

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3 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

being conscious and learning all the facts in detail, everyone would be able to prevent themselves from any epidemics and dangers.

.... but unfortunatly our religious ritual has resulted in people catching SarS-Cov-2."

28 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Meanwhile, some temples avoided taking risks by accepting merit money through ‘Online Tod Kathin’.

Yesssss.

 

Where there's a will there's a way.

I think a lot of people think that Buddhist temples get free electricity, water etc.  That is not true.  They have to pay like everyone else.  Plus maintenance and upkeep on the buildings.  There is a lot of expenses involved in these temples.  I read where posters are always talking about Buddhist monks raking in the dough.  I spent 5 years at a country temple in Lopburi province.  I don't think I ever received more than 500 baht a month in donations.  And that money received went into the temple fund for expenses.  We used to laugh at all the stories of those jet setting monks and the stories of those monks shopping for new iphones etc.  Yes it happened. But out of the approx. 350,000 monks in Thailand, how many were actually raking in the money?  Don't paint all Buddhist monks with the same brush. 

^^^ Agree 100%