Thai Monks On The Road

[phuketrichard]

Has anyone else noticed there seem to be more and more thai monks walking along the road and motioning for u to give them a ride.

I have picked up two of them in the past 6 months travelling and both times they asked for money when i let them out.

Is this something new>>

Now i dont stop to pick them up

[ScubaBuddha]

There seems to be a lot of fake monks getting arrested in the news lately.

[LivinginKata]

A couple of years ago I stopped for a monk hitching on the Patong/Karon road. Said he was going to the Wat in kata. He was quite friendly but then the talk quickly turned to asking me for money for the bus fare up to Bangkok. I politely refused with usual 'mai me satang' and he quickly asked to be let out of the car on the hill over to Karon. Obviously trying his luck with another mug. I see many of them hitching these past few months and I never stop for them. Most likely not even proper monks, just con men dressed as monks.

[Wellington]

A couple of years ago I stopped for a monk hitching on the Patong/Karon road. Said he was going to the Wat in kata. He was quite friendly but then the talk quickly turned to asking me for money for the bus fare up to Bangkok. I politely refused with usual 'mai me satang' and he quickly asked to be let out of the car on the hill over to Karon. Obviously trying his luck with another mug. I see many of them hitching these past few months and I never stop for them. Most likely not even proper monks, just con men dressed as monks.

You might ,however, be tempted to stop for a pair of monks in crop tops and mini skirts.

[keestha]

Normally I always take hitchhikers, it's a moral obligation because in days long past I did a lot of hitchhiking myself. But I stopped taking monks, my experience is that they invariably ask for money. No way to tell if they are genuine monks or not, and it goes a bit too far to request to be shown the special ID card every monk is required to carry.

[katasyd]

Not to mention they stink like an unwashed ass.

There is a monk who gets driven around in a new 5 series BMW with a driver.

I have been told he is the abbot of Wat Chalong and the car was donated to the temple by a prominent thai family.

So much for wanting or needing material things

[snamos]

As part of their chants...apparantly they arent allowed to ask for anything...only receive what is given...part of their vows of poverty or something similar

[PoorSucker]

Real monks never asks for anything.

[petercallen]

If those monks walking along the road are real,

So are the Gucci glasses you can buy at the markets for a 100 baht

[Wellington]

If those monks walking along the road are real,

So are the Gucci glasses you can buy at the markets for a 100 baht

But at least the glasses are useful.

[katasyd]

From a story in today's nation.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/02/09/national/As-the-guns-roar-feelings-harden-among-border-evac-30148219.html

A famous local monk arrived in the afternoon in his new Bt50 million Rolls Royce to provide amulets and words of assurance to the mostly poor villagers.

Religion is big business.

[Fookhaht]

From a story in today's nation.

http://www.nationmul...c-30148219.html

A famous local monk arrived in the afternoon in his new Bt50 million Rolls Royce to provide amulets and words of assurance to the mostly poor villagers.

Religion is big business.

So nice to know not all monks are so hard up to have to thumb a ride.

Wonder how many Honda Waves Pra R.R. could have bought for Thailand's Wats for that Bt50m? Well, darn it, let's just do the math ourselves. About 1,250 temples could have been supplied with one Honda Wave @ Bt40k each.

[Phuket Stan]

Not to mention they stink like an unwashed ass.

There is a monk who gets driven around in a new 5 series BMW with a driver.

I have been told he is the abbot of Wat Chalong and the car was donated to the temple by a prominent thai family.

So much for wanting or needing material things

I was at a funeral in Bkk a couple of weeks ago and the saw the Head Monk being driven in a late model Mercedes 500

[snamos]

So nice to know not all monks are so hard up to have to thumb a ride.

Wonder how many Honda Waves Pra R.R. could have bought for Thailand's Wats for that Bt50m? Well, darn it, let's just do the math ourselves. About 1,250 temples could have been supplied with one Honda Wave @ Bt40k each.

40k each...thats spoiling them...get them some 10k honda dreams then you can supply 6000 wats

[Valentine]

From a story in today's nation.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/02/09/national/As-the-guns-roar-feelings-harden-among-border-evac-30148219.html

A famous local monk arrived in the afternoon in his new Bt50 million Rolls Royce to provide amulets and words of assurance to the mostly poor villagers.

Religion is big business.

When you see the photo it could just as well be someone bring in their new car for blessing by the monks.

[petercallen]

There is a pair of so called monks who regularly work the road between Karon and Patong.

They look like they have not washed there clothes or themselves in months

[katasyd]

From a story in today's nation.

http://www.nationmul...c-30148219.html

A famous local monk arrived in the afternoon in his new Bt50 million Rolls Royce to provide amulets and words of assurance to the mostly poor villagers.

Religion is big business.

When you see the photo it could just as well be someone bring in their new car for blessing by the monks.

It does clearly state in the article that it's his car.

Some these 'famous' monks pull in 10's of millions of baht a month through donations and amulet sales.

We could get onto the topic of amulets and some of the money they command but that would be dragging this off topic.

[Valentine]

It does clearly state in the article that it's his car.

Some these 'famous' monks pull in 10's of millions of baht a month through donations and amulet sales.

We could get onto the topic of amulets and some of the money they command but that would be dragging this off topic.

Yes I did read the article but not sure if you have seen the photo & yes I understand there are many monks & temples making vast sums of money & yes we all know how liberal with the "facts" are the reporters from our esteemed newspaper. There is one particular monk who occasionally comes up our soi asking for money & I do not believe he is a real monk.

[snamos]

Maybe they need monk Identity cards to prove they are real monks! , Also the ID cards could state what temple they are from....less affluent temples could attract higher donations

Edited February 10, 2011 by snamos

[seaeagle]

Just been waiting in the car for a friend, near Chao Khun, in Nai Harn.

Wife and I sat waiting, and saw this 'monk' at the 3-way junction thumbing lifts from cars and bikes. Only ever tried to flag down bikes driven by falangs, so maybe was the same for car drivers if he could see the driver clearly.

Wife said that, while he'd cut his hair pretty short, it was way too long for a monk. Maybe that's the "Adam's Apple" clue in this - hairstyle!

[inmysights]

Maybe they need monk Identity cards to prove they are real monks! , Also the ID cards could state what temple they are from....less affluent temples could attract higher donations

There's a 91 year old monk (real one) at the Samnak Song Promthep who, when the 'envelope' was proffered to a Thai friend who enclosed a 20 baht note, was met with 'No! 100 baht! You think I do this for free?!' LOL!

They're not all fake, just Thai.

[Igaar]

I picked up 2 "monks" together with my wife. They said they would just get out when we got to our home but when we got there they insisted to be driven a long way to a temple. When we got somewhere (there was no temple, they said they'd walk) they wouldn't get out of the care before we paid them 100 bath each.

[ScubaBuddha]

Not to mention they stink like an unwashed ass.

They look like they have not washed there clothes or themselves in months

That is surprising. I thought that one of their cannons was to have clean mind and body. They are supposed to rise before dawn and wash, so I thought. Perhaps there is a vow of uncleanliness?

[featography]

Normally I always take hitchhikers, it's a moral obligation because in days long past I did a lot of hitchhiking myself. But I stopped taking monks, my experience is that they invariably ask for money. No way to tell if they are genuine monks or not, and it goes a bit too far to request to be shown the special ID card every monk is required to carry.

a first clue would be "monks hitchhiking"

[featography]

Not to mention they stink like an unwashed ass.

They look like they have not washed there clothes or themselves in months

That is surprising. I thought that one of their cannons was to have clean mind and body. They are supposed to rise before dawn and wash, so I thought. Perhaps there is a vow of uncleanliness?

That would be the 2nd clue

[keestha]

Normally I always take hitchhikers, it's a moral obligation because in days long past I did a lot of hitchhiking myself. But I stopped taking monks, my experience is that they invariably ask for money. No way to tell if they are genuine monks or not, and it goes a bit too far to request to be shown the special ID card every monk is required to carry.

a first clue would be "monks hitchhiking"

You could very well be right. I remember meeting a monk in Ayuthaya during the first week of my stay in Thailand (1992), who told me he had gone on foot through much of northern and central Thailand, also going into Laos and Cambodia. Probably he just initiated a conversation with me to practice his English. He told me it was a problem for him to keep clean and do laundry whilst on the road, but when I offered him to take a shower in the hotel where I was staying, he declined, saying a monk cannot go into a place like a hotel. Needless to say he didn't ask me for money.

I could be wrong, but aren't monks supposed to do all their travelling on foot?

[MrMakMak]

You could very well be right. I remember meeting a monk in Ayuthaya during the first week of my stay in Thailand (1992), who told me he had gone on foot through much of northern and central Thailand, also going into Laos and Cambodia. Probably he just initiated a conversation with me to practice his English. He told me it was a problem for him to keep clean and do laundry whilst on the road, but when I offered him to take a shower in the hotel where I was staying, he declined, saying a monk cannot go into a place like a hotel. Needless to say he didn't ask me for money.

I could be wrong, but aren't monks supposed to do all their travelling on foot?

You definitely met one the rare genuine old school thai. Someone still living like thais used to be before the white men and greed turned them into ... well whatever they are now. Should of given him a donation, he probably does a lot of good work to help t he needy

[bob6023]

monks don't hitch real ones walk

[villagefarang]

I take it the hitchhiking monks didn't look anything like this bunch that we came across on a recent road trip. They still had several more weeks of walking before they were to reach their destination.

[Ping]

There used to be chairs at some aiports with 'Reserved for Monks' signs on them. May still be there at some of them. So much for walking...