Netizens irate after photos of monks working out goes viral - Top monk says "don't show off"

[Gandtee]

I would suggest that the abbot finds out which of their followers need physical help and not only  spiritual help. Help them in repairing their houses damaged by bad weather for example. Use their energy in a positive way. Not the artificial way like pumping iron.

[SOTIRIOS]

...Up There With Shopping At Robinson...

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and the replies have been removed. 

[orang37]

3 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Disagree. Do you know what Buddhism is? One that speaks to others about how one should not live one’s life should not desire to look good. 

And, your psychic powers tell you that the intention of these Monks is to "look good" ?

[orang37]

6 hours ago, sead said:

As if you all thought that Prawit, Prayuth etc was the only irrational people

My faith in the irrationality of my perceptions and thoughts is sometimes shaken by finding myself believing I can see that others are irrational.

 

Gym and cold showers help restore my sense of being a meaningless, deluded, bit of self-organized organic goo addicted to its own hallucinations of linear time, and a fictional narrative of a personal history titled "The Greatest Story Ever Told."

 

Equal access to gyms and cold showers !

[Photoguy21]

I agree with "while it was not wrong it was inappropriate for the monks to be sharing pictures like this"

[John Drake]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

But online condemnation was swift with many netizens saying it was not appropriate for monks to be doing this as it was not part of their duties. 

Then how do they explain Kwai Chang Caine at the Shaolin Temple, hmmm?

[trainman34014]

A lot of Thai People take 'Monks' too seriously; especially Women who seem to think that they are some sort of 'Guru' with all healing powers and magical ways of predicting the future...mainly Lottery Numbers !

 

Truth is they are just normal Men wearing Orange Robes and many are there because of bad behaviour of some sort and believe they will be absolved from all responsibilty, guilt or blame for 'all' wrongdoing.  So; excercise for them is similar to exercise for Prisoners in Jail !

[paulikens]

Not just the monks in Thailand that could do with the exercise, the majority of Thais could do with some exercise,  I've never known a nation that do such little walking and that's saying something considering most countries don't do a lot.     I don't think Thais even know their legs can do the motion of walking.  

[newnative]

What nonsense.  Nothing wrong with taking care of your body and nothing wrong with monks setting an example.

[prakhonchai nick]

3 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

A lot of Thai People take 'Monks' too seriously; especially Women who seem to think that they are some sort of 'Guru' with all healing powers and magical ways of predicting the future...mainly Lottery Numbers !

 

Truth is they are just normal Men wearing Orange Robes and many are there because of bad behaviour of some sort and believe they will be absolved from all responsibilty, guilt or blame for 'all' wrongdoing.  So; excercise for them is similar to exercise for Prisoners in Jail !

Couldn't agree more.  They are indeed just normal men, except that they are barred from having direct contact with women. Just like most Thais. who believe in Buddha, they are the same, without the need to work or take care of family. They have no additional powers whatsoever, as the majority of Thai women like to believe. Treat them with respect, but no need to fawn over them, bow and scrape etc.

[EricTh]

There's nothing wrong with exercising for monks. They are there to keep their body healthy.

[Baron Samedi]

Aaah... The infamous netizens ????

[khaowong1]

13 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Monks are supposed to eat nothing solid after noon.  It's hard to see how they would become corpulent that way.  It basically limits them to two meals a day, and nothing anywhere near bedtime.

 

And I thought monks got exercise while out walking every morning, and while cleaning and maintaining the grounds of the wat.  Practical activity is more wholesome than lifting iron.

I agree with this also..  I once lived at a big Wat in Lum Luk Kha, we swept that place every day from one end to the other.  Took a couple of hours.  Good exercise.  

[khaowong1]

11 hours ago, JohnHans said:

Exercise is allowed but showing off is not.
 

The Five Precepts that are important are:

• Refrain from harming living beings (eating meat)
• Refrain from taking that which is not freely given
• Refrain from sexual misconduct
• Refrain from wrong speech; such as lying, idle chatter, malicious gossip or harsh speech
• Refrain from intoxicating drink and drugs which lead to carelessness (smoking)

Cigarettes and eating meat of any kind are not allowed in teachings so these should be the areas lay people could focus on and avoid giving them in alms to the monks, the public should be educated about something they should already know.

• Refrain from harming living beings (eating meat) is your interpretation.  There is no where in the precepts that disallow eating meat. 

[Lemsta69]

54 minutes ago, khaowong1 said:

I agree with this also..  I once lived at a big Wat in Lum Luk Kha, we swept that place every day from one end to the other.  Took a couple of hours.  Good exercise.  

I thought you were supposed to learn Kung <deleted> in the temple. and lift heavy stones with your todger ????

[pacovl46]

Monks doing something for their health by working out! Oh the horror! And how scandalousl!!!

 

How dare they without consulting average Somchai first! 

 

Get a life! 

Edited September 5, 2022 by pacovl46

[Venom]

On 9/4/2022 at 11:42 AM, webfact said:

A monk had posted the snaps on "Buddhist News" on Facebook saying that he recognized that some clergy were a bit porky under their saffron robes.

Put them on a diet if you want them to loose weight.

 

22 hours ago, frankie machine said:

get a life, "netizens'.   some people like to take care of their body as well as their mind.   not everyone wants to look and feel like a beached whale, sprawled on the sofa and watching soap operas all day.  

Maybe they should add a manicure and spa treatment facility to the site. ????

 

[Venom]

7 hours ago, khaowong1 said:

• Refrain from harming living beings (eating meat) is your interpretation.  There is no where in the precepts that disallow eating meat. 

As long as you can get someone else to kill it then it should be okay. 

[Orinoco]

5 hours ago, Venom said:

As long as you can get someone else to kill it then it should be okay. 

I doubt the  Buddha told his followers that.

 

 

[JimTripper]

a man is always working out, he can be eating a vegetarian meal, pumping it, meditation or working out, he's getting off no matter what he's doing. -arnold schwartzeneggar (pumping iron)

[connda]

So monks are not allowed to exercise?  Amazing Thailand.

[Photoguy21]

Strange as no one is bothered about Monks walking around the mobile phone shops and buying them. Presumably they need a mobile phone to connect with the big guy upstairs.

[khaowong1]

17 hours ago, Venom said:

As long as you can get someone else to kill it then it should be okay. 

The thing is, your not allowed to refrain from excepting anything from the people who donate to you, but that doesn't mean you have to eat it.  

[jaywalker]

On 9/4/2022 at 6:34 PM, Kerryd said:

Funny because (supposedly) Kung <deleted> was started in China after an Indian (Buddhist) monk noticed that the Chinese monks were lazy and fell asleep during lessons.

Supposedly he instituted an exercise routine to help the monks get in shape so they could better focus on their learning.

Those routines eventually led to the development of a martial arts style which then spread throughout China as monks migrated from temple to temple over the years. Over the centuries, different styles were developed in different regions of the country until there were dozens, if not hundreds, of different styles as each temple developed their own versions.

I've noticed a lot of monks in Thailand that could benefit from an exercise routine. In Pattaya they are given so much stuff they simply can't eat it all. They have to have people in cars and motos follow them around to carry all the extra food and stuff they get each morning.

[JohnHans]

On 9/5/2022 at 8:16 PM, khaowong1 said:

• Refrain from harming living beings (eating meat) is your interpretation.  There is no where in the precepts that disallow eating meat. 

If eating them is not harming them then you have a very unusual view and understanding.

[Eaglekott]

On 9/5/2022 at 9:02 AM, JohnHans said:

Refrain from harming living beings (eating meat)

When you eat meat it's not living beings and I see monks eat a lot of meat.

[JohnHans]

On 9/5/2022 at 10:54 AM, Bday Prang said:

There is no obligation for monks to be vegetarian or to refrain from smoking, That is your own incorrect interpretation  

As far as i understand it, killing animals so they can be eaten comes under the category of harm.
Also tobacco is a drug.

You are obviously a meat eater (so am I) and you are a smoker, but you don't need to defend yourself here, we are discussing monks. If you were a Monk killing animals by proxy and were a cigarette smoker then I would question your sincerity towards the monkhood.

[JohnHans]

2 minutes ago, Eaglekott said:

When you eat meat it's not living beings and I see monks eat a lot of meat.

Don't be silly, of course eating meat is harming animals and monks that eat meat are going against the teachings of Buddha, just because you see monks doing this does not mean they are right in doing so. 

[Bday Prang]

38 minutes ago, JohnHans said:

As far as i understand it, killing animals so they can be eaten comes under the category of harm.
Also tobacco is a drug.

You are obviously a meat eater (so am I) and you are a smoker, but you don't need to defend yourself here, we are discussing monks. If you were a Monk killing animals by proxy and were a cigarette smoker then I would question your sincerity towards the monkhood.

I have no need to defend myself anywhere !   The fact remains that monks are not obliged to refrain from eating meat or smoking tobacco, If i were you i would leave questions regarding the sincerity of Thai Buddhists to Thai Buddhists. It's obviously not your area of expertise

Tobacco is not "a drug" it is a plant

The issue here is not eating meat or smoking or even working out, the issue here as quoted in the op is "showing off"  a form of vanity. Perhaps you should address that with your self assumed pioty 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Bday Prang