it would be great if someone could provide a translation of the site. google comes up with gibberish.

THe comments don't seem terribly disturbed though.

Probably a Policemans son. 'Ere Dad, can I borrow your gun and get some pic's taken to wind up that silly bunch of Farang's on TV ' !

For a start, how could anyone prove...

° This photo was taken in Thailand.

° Anyone can dress like this and post it on the web.

Similar to creating a computer virus - just to create unpleasantness...

Why would a 'real' monk want to be photographed thus?

Your a Liberal .

Today was waiting for my chum doing a border run. Sat outside a bar with a beer and smoke, monk sits down a few feet away, cross legged and lit a fag, not one, he must have smoked 10 in 20 minutes.

I remember being in Goa in India back in the 80s when a Sadhu, an Indian holy man, nimbly walking along the beach with his gold coloured tipped cane, saw us and sat down at our table in a beach cafe, He produced an empty coconut shell from under his robes, put it on the table and said with a grin, 'Please fill it with beer '. Perhaps he'd got tired of the ganja.

I have a friend from Cornwall who's been a monk for over 20 years in Thailand. He started off upcountry but tired of his fellow monks not taking Buddhism seriously, he concluded most became monks to avoid working. He then moved to a prestigious temple in Bangkok where he complained the atmosphere was akin to a large company with everyone jostling for personal benefits, freebies to India, promotion- a rat race he said! I asked him why he didn't disrobe, he replied he didn't know what else he could do, he'd become institutionalized like them!

Having said that, there are many decent monks amongst the approx 200,000 monks in Thailand.

Wonder how his abbot and wat peers consider him....??

I can't tell you if he is a monk but he certainly is confused with his role in life.

I would agree with the coarse comment, but modify - Thailand is a modern nation and no longer takes the religion (philospohy) seriously. That would be Myanmar, Butan, Ladakh, Tibet and parts of India and Nepal.

I suspect it's a deliberately staged photo....he seems to be posing for the camera with the intention of shocking those who wish to be shocked.

But I don't know that for certain....so it may be a real photo.

But just so you are aware...it IS a crime in Thailand to put on monk's robes and claim to be a monk.

By pure co-incidence there was a report on the Thai news on television this morning of a guy who some animals...monkeys mostly...caged and was showing them and asking for "donations" to feed the animals. He was dressed in monk's robes.

He was arrested....and the main charge seems to be "impersonating a monk".

Half the monks are dodgy or at the very least not fully committed

Half the monks are dodgy or at the very least not fully committed

It's almost become nothing short of a social safety catch...

Be ordained for 3 months to 20 years. Step in and out as one wishes.

Half the monks are dodgy or at the very least not fully committed

It's almost become nothing short of a social safety catch...

Be ordained for 3 months to 20 years. Step in and out as one wishes.

Actually, the role of the monk in many areas is the same as the role of a social worker in my country.

Even though some are not spiritual gurus, they offer a lot to society - leave them alone!

[sic] they offer a lot to society - leave them alone!

I'll leave them alone if they cut down on their regular community rice collections from twice a month to once.

Saw a "monk" with a begging bowl at a very popular restaurant (S_D_) on Soi 14 of Sukhumvit Road in the evening. What gave him off? Begging for ALMS in the EVENING. Real monks don't go out for Alms in the evening. Please be warned.

After seeing so many comments, I suddenly feel that I am very ignorant. So this is what you call Monk in Thailand. I'm lost of words, and in future, I will skip all those good deeds, charity etc . I did all this regularly whenever I visit Thailand....................So sad to hear the truth!

Thing is, it all comes down to 'no desire', which is their doctrine. Agree this guy is a tourist (ie, not a lifer), though many are clearly weak and retain the desire of any man. With that, what is the point?

To control and manipulate the masses.

Methinks Buddhism teaches you to control yourself. Nothing about others.

And a man wearing robes does not a monk make.

How is this sort of thing surprising to anyone who has been here for awhile? All organized religions are bunk but their clergy tend to be men who are careerist, pederasts (as in the case of Catholic priests), or outright criminals. You may have a few that are genuine true believers but I can't imagine that even they are innocent from the seduction of power and control over the flock.

There have been numerous reports over the years of gangster monks, drug cartel monks, and cultist monks all up to various misdeeds in Thailand. It's just par for the course for the world's religions.

It could very well be an actor posing as a monk, e.g. for a movie. You can't pass judgment unless you know the background.

How is this sort of thing surprising to anyone who has been here for awhile? All organized religions are bunk but their clergy tend to be men who are careerist, pederasts (as in the case of Catholic priests), or outright criminals. You may have a few that are genuine true believers but I can't imagine that even they are innocent from the seduction of power and control over the flock.

There have been numerous reports over the years of gangster monks, drug cartel monks, and cultist monks all up to various misdeeds in Thailand. It's just par for the course for the world's religions.

There is a lot of pederasty in the temples, I've heard from several sources. One highly ranked abbot I know of was a transvestite (at nights, I presume).

Catholic priests? Give a dog a bad name and hang him! An article by a respected Jewish journalist, posted elsewhere on TV, claims that 1.3% of Catholic priests in the USA are pederasts, and 10% of Protestant pastors. I don't profess to know what the truth of the matter may be.

^ agree. Many smoke. Most eat meat. Always seem to see monks at mobile phone shops lol.

Many drink whiskey. Some have girlfriends and/or boyfriends.

Shame on you for passing this bull.

Thank for the link to the photos OP.

For me he smokes Marb Light and the sign up over the door is Burmese and not Thai. I Think????

even if its real it means nothing, the behaviour reflects on the individual not the religion.

use common sense people.

After seeing so many comments, I suddenly feel that I am very ignorant. So this is what you call Monk in Thailand. I'm lost of words, and in future, I will skip all those good deeds, charity etc . I did all this regularly whenever I visit Thailand....................So sad to hear the truth!

so you are going to give up your beliefs, cease doing good deeds and turn your back on charity based on the strength of a series of photos of unknown provenance and the notion that not all monks are entirely devout? What does that say about your own sincerity or intelligence?

sounds like you too are a poseur little different from our renegade novice

I notice that a lot of posters are commenting on monks smoking. There is no proscription on monks smoking in Buddhism.

I notice that a lot of posters are commenting on monks smoking. There is no proscription on monks smoking in Buddhism.

Well, feel free to interpret the precepts any way you like, but in my book a case can be made that 'not taking intoxicants' would reasonably include tobacco. Additionally, additiction implies desire and dependence on a substance; also not the fast-track to enlightenment.

At our supermarkets (Friendship/Villa style markets, not bigger than that) in Texas, we regularly saw "Buddhist" monks coming in to rent movies (back in the VHS days) and push their shopping carts around buying groceries and cigarettes (handling money... which is generally a no no). The only plus maybe was that we rarely saw them buying booze.

Are there many Buddhist monks in Texas?

I wouldn't say a lot, but even at 'recent' as 15 years ago, there were already at least twenty temples (basically at least one and more likely two for each major metro area). Apparently getting on the net isn't a priority because when I try to Google, I typically can only find about 5-6.

I notice that a lot of posters are commenting on monks smoking. There is no proscription on monks smoking in Buddhism.

Well, feel free to interpret the precepts any way you like, but in my book a case can be made that 'not taking intoxicants' would reasonably include tobacco. Additionally, additiction implies desire and dependence on a substance; also not the fast-track to enlightenment.

Also when the precepts were created, tobacco did not exist in that part of the world because it comes from America. They couldn't specifically include tobacco because they didn't know it existed. It's doesn't seem to fit with the spirit of precept to allow something modern just because they didn't know back then to specifically prohibit it.

I notice that a lot of posters are commenting on monks smoking. There is no proscription on monks smoking in Buddhism.

How long have you been a monk?

I notice that a lot of posters are commenting on monks smoking. There is no proscription on monks smoking in Buddhism.

Well, feel free to interpret the precepts any way you like, but in my book a case can be made that 'not taking intoxicants' would reasonably include tobacco. Additionally, additiction implies desire and dependence on a substance; also not the fast-track to enlightenment.

Also when the precepts were created, tobacco did not exist in that part of the world because it comes from America. They couldn't specifically include tobacco because they didn't know it existed. It's doesn't seem to fit with the spirit of precept to allow something modern just because they didn't know back then to specifically prohibit it.

If they can only ban things that were available back during that period then that must mean crack cocaine is A-OK. Same goes for methamphetamines. What we need are more speed ballin' monks trafficking their ak-47s. They can form their own warlord bandit tribes like the ones in Africa who wear graduation robes.

I notice that a lot of posters are commenting on monks smoking. There is no proscription on monks smoking in Buddhism.

Crack cocaine A-OK though I assume?

[sic] they offer a lot to society - leave them alone!

I'll leave them alone if they cut down on their regular community rice collections from twice a month to once.

What difference does it make how often they collect? It's up to you how often you give.

You can't be much of a man if you can't walk past a beggar or a monk. If you're that weak-willed, how do you get past the pubs?

SC

[sic] they offer a lot to society - leave them alone!

I'll leave them alone if they cut down on their regular community rice collections from twice a month to once.

What difference does it make how often they collect? It's up to you how often you give.

You can't be much of a man if you can't walk past a beggar or a monk. If you're that weak-willed, how do you get past the pubs?

SC

We don't have beggars here, SC. Nor does anyone go hungry. The communal and social extensions are quite still in tact here.

I'm guessing that you've never been exposed to these things.....our local wats have a history of pushing the envelope beyond their assumed gluttony. We are far from stingy, yet we remain suspiscious as to the intended good work that supposedly derives from the wat community.

We've given [for the community] until it hurts, in most cases - in a variety of manners.

Among other things, we grow tonnes of rice annually. A small percentage of the harvests are instinctively set aside for these "collections" and we accept this. But I believe that it becomes over the top.

Please, don't attempt to judge someone or situations that you've no direct knowledge of.