'lotto Monk' Has Become The Rule Not An Exception

[Honkie]

Also respect the religion you were born too.

Can you please elaborate on that .." the religion that you were born to"

[Noistar]

Religion and money have gone hand in hand since men created gods for fear of dying .

I diff with you since he won proves he walks with Buddha. Please respect this monk as well as all Monks.

Also respect the religion you were born too

From my imperfect understanding of Buddhism, I believe the purpose of Buddha's life was to give away material things and live a life worthy of achieving nirvana. The idea of good fortune and material gain was not part of his teachings. Doing good was related to the next life.

Whether offerings are to Buddha, or are placed there to be available after one's death, the Buddhist belief and faith remains.

I don't think this monk will be forgiven, merely be an example of a bad monk. His activities will not detract from respecting monks.

When giving alms offerings to boy nor nen, it's the prayers/chants which are wanted - good luck. The fact that some of these nor nen do not have a sincere Buddhist belief does not seem to cross the minds of the believers. They do not judge.

Can't prove if good luck is because, or in spite of, faith.

[Rafterman]

Religion and money have gone hand in hand since men created gods for fear of dying .

I diff with you since he won proves he walks with Buddha. Please respect this monk as well as all Monks.

Also respect the religion you were born too

I will start respecting religions the day they start respecting non believers.

Georges Carlin was right on all counts .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o

[Pimay1]

You be the judge. This Buddahist temple is worth millions of dollars. I guess everyone needs a job even the rich monks that drive Benzs.

https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=dhammakaya+temple&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#biv=i|2;d|ZYlLy2F5TZ0DpM:

[MyFriend You]

I was not aware that Buddhism was a religion or that monks took a vow of poverty.

With pretty much any use of the word which is meaningful, Buddhism is very much a religion. And the vinaya prohibits monks' acceptance or use of money or their engaging in exchange.

I agree it is a religion but Thais seem to make it up as they go along, and are more Animist, Brahmanist and superstitious than actually Buddhist.

One of the most factual statements I have read in this forum - I've lived on and off in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam for almost 40 years and this is so true about Thais in general

[MyFriend You]

I can't quite grasp the disrepect shown to both Buddhism, and monks, shown in this thread.

Either the majority of farang have little understanding of it, and despite their stay here for how many years have continued to develop little understanding of it, or they are of two other repertoires; just plain ignorance, or enjoy taking the piss out of something that is totally beyond their miniscule brain ability and comprehension!

Poor show, and ignorant show, really.

-mel.

Or perhaps its disgust with 'monks' who are CLEARLY nothing more than charlatans in Buddhist robes...

Should we bow down to them as they are dressed correctly?

Poor, Ignorant, finger-pointing judgement from someone who should know better than to jump to the defense of liars, cheats, exploiters & abusers...

If they were real servants they would serve, rather than daily collect!!!

Ten years ago, there was an American Monk that plowed the streets of Bangkok, in robes, travelled in certain circles, soliciting money for under privileged kids - I saw

him on the Sky train begging for money for a ticket 'home' in Australia last year in Western clothes- I know it was him because the end of his nose looked like it had been bitten off sometime years before and it was a bit gross...............so much for the wolves in sheeps clothing.

[MEL1]

I thought it was plainly clear, but obviously not.

I said, "I can't quite grasp the disrepect shown to both Buddhism, and monks, shown in this thread."

That refers to truist Buddhism, and truist monks; not the copies, criminals or deceivers you refer to in the last 2 posts.

If you believe there are no truist Buddhist monks in Thailand then please cite your references as for why, and how you perceive such nonsense.

-mel.

[Rafterman]

I thought it was plainly clear, but obviously not.

I said, "I can't quite grasp the disrepect shown to both Buddhism, and monks, shown in this thread."

That refers to truist Buddhism, and truist monks; not the copies, criminals or deceivers you refer to in the last 2 posts.

If you believe there are no truist Buddhist monks in Thailand then please cite your references as for why, and how you perceive such nonsense.

-mel.

FAITH. No one word personifies the absolute worst and most wicked properties of religion better than that. Faith is mind-rot. It’s the poison that destroys critical thinking, undermines evidence, and leads people into lives dedicated to absurdity. It’s a parasite regarded as a virtue. -

[Hugo6]

I thought it was plainly clear, but obviously not.

I said, "I can't quite grasp the disrepect shown to both Buddhism, and monks, shown in this thread."

That refers to truist Buddhism, and truist monks; not the copies, criminals or deceivers you refer to in the last 2 posts.

If you believe there are no truist Buddhist monks in Thailand then please cite your references as for why, and how you perceive such nonsense.

-mel.

FAITH. No one word personifies the absolute worst and most wicked properties of religion better than that. Faith is mind-rot. It’s the poison that destroys critical thinking, undermines evidence, and leads people into lives dedicated to absurdity. It’s a parasite regarded as a virtue. -

depends on your version of mind-rot

buddhism fwiw is about direct experience, not faith

buddhism doesnt start with a god who you need to believe in

the buddha never asked people to have faith in him

he asked for them to understand and then experience the truth for themselves

it is one reason buddhism is unique in this world

[Rafterman]

I thought it was plainly clear, but obviously not.

I said, "I can't quite grasp the disrepect shown to both Buddhism, and monks, shown in this thread."

That refers to truist Buddhism, and truist monks; not the copies, criminals or deceivers you refer to in the last 2 posts.

If you believe there are no truist Buddhist monks in Thailand then please cite your references as for why, and how you perceive such nonsense.

-mel.

FAITH. No one word personifies the absolute worst and most wicked properties of religion better than that. Faith is mind-rot. It’s the poison that destroys critical thinking, undermines evidence, and leads people into lives dedicated to absurdity. It’s a parasite regarded as a virtue. -

depends on your version of mind-rot

buddhism fwiw is about direct experience, not faith

buddhism doesnt start with a god who you need to believe in

the buddha never asked people to have faith in him

he asked for them to understand and then experience the truth for themselves

it is one reason buddhism is unique in this world

Religion , especially organized religion is the main source of hatred in this world .

Buddhism is an organized religion , especially in Thailand, and therefore is no different in that respect .

[MEL1]

I thought it was plainly clear, but obviously not.

I said, "I can't quite grasp the disrepect shown to both Buddhism, and monks, shown in this thread."

That refers to truist Buddhism, and truist monks; not the copies, criminals or deceivers you refer to in the last 2 posts.

If you believe there are no truist Buddhist monks in Thailand then please cite your references as for why, and how you perceive such nonsense.

-mel.

FAITH. No one word personifies the absolute worst and most wicked properties of religion better than that. Faith is mind-rot. It’s the poison that destroys critical thinking, undermines evidence, and leads people into lives dedicated to absurdity. It’s a parasite regarded as a virtue. -

depends on your version of mind-rot

buddhism fwiw is about direct experience, not faith

buddhism doesnt start with a god who you need to believe in

the buddha never asked people to have faith in him

he asked for them to understand and then experience the truth for themselves

it is one reason buddhism is unique in this world

Religion , especially organized religion is the main source of hatred in this world .

Buddhism is an organized religion , especially in Thailand, and therefore is no different in that respect .

Buddhism is widely accepted as a philosophy, and not a religion. There is no deity in Buddhism.

As for your opinion of 'faith', don't you make decisions based upon the faith of knowing the outcome you believe you know is a likely outcome, based upon your past experiences of making similar decisions? You don't know the true outcome of many a decision you make, but based upon the faith of previous knowledge you make a fairly accurate guesstimation, don't you?

-mel.

[jackr]

I don't know why people are surprised; Buddhism, in it's truest sense, is instilled in a very few worthy souls here. Most folks, as with many other religions, typically only do good to reap rewards in time.

The local abbot took 2 million baht's worth of temple donations and built himself a pink eyesore right next to the traditional, somewhat humble, temple, which comes complete with air-con and cable TV, etc etc. No desire there, what what, and he has absolutely no qualms about telling folk how untrustworthy and 'bad' the Burmese are! As will this dude, I think he has a very long road to tread before achieving nirvana.

[Rafterman]

More religious nonsense , expressed in a way that makes me feel , I hate to say , like you never read any of the arguments against your position

[arminbkk]

"Religion is what keeps the poor from killing the rich." N.B.

[Rafterman]

Religion is the antithesis of science, an anesthetic for the mind that disables critical thinking , common sense and encourages the acceptance of inanity as fact, and wishful thinking as evidence.

[MEL1]

I don't know why people are surprised; Buddhism, in it's truest sense, is instilled in a very few worthy souls here. Most folks, as with many other religions, typically only do good to reap rewards in time.

The local abbot took 2 million baht's worth of temple donations and built himself a pink eyesore right next to the traditional, somewhat humble, temple, which comes complete with air-con and cable TV, etc etc. No desire there, what what, and he has absolutely no qualms about telling folk how untrustworthy and 'bad' the Burmese are! As will this dude, I think he has a very long road to tread before achieving nirvana.

At least you negotiated the point that there are some worthy souls, who are, indeed, true Buddhists.

I do point out that true Buddhism is on a rapid decline in the bigger cities of Thailand. I did a survey, and found that the wealthier one is in Thailand then the less Buddhism is cared for, or even matters! It is the poorer, primarily northern and Esan areas where Buddhism is still practised in truth, and making merit is of importance. It still serves its purpose for those less fortunate - that can't be a bad thing, can it?

-mel.

[MEL1]

Religion is the antithesis of science, an anesthetic for the mind that disables critical thinking , common sense and encourages the acceptance of inanity as fact, and wishful thinking as evidence.

Plagiarism is a no no, and also prosecutable. Quote your source in future. This is a quote from PZMyers and not your own words, which you have also repeated twice without quoting the source!

FAIL!

-mel.

[Several]

Religion is the antithesis of science, an anesthetic for the mind that disables critical thinking , common sense and encourages the acceptance of inanity as fact, and wishful thinking as evidence.

Right. And science is a paragon of virtue that never turns a blind eye to obvious mistakes and is always open to new ideas. Technically science is a religion based on a belief in the laws of the universe.

[Rafterman]

Religion is the antithesis of science, an anesthetic for the mind that disables critical thinking , common sense and encourages the acceptance of inanity as fact, and wishful thinking as evidence.

Right. And science is a paragon of virtue that never turns a blind eye to obvious mistakes and is always open to new ideas. Technically science is a religion based on a belief in the laws of the universe.

You obviously have no clue as to what science is . Enjoy the prehistory of mankind .

[Several]

I know exactly what science is and where it came from. You should read its history, it could learn alot from Buddhism. You should try meditation, maybe you'd be less angry.

[Hugo6]

I thought it was plainly clear, but obviously not.

I said, "I can't quite grasp the disrepect shown to both Buddhism, and monks, shown in this thread."

That refers to truist Buddhism, and truist monks; not the copies, criminals or deceivers you refer to in the last 2 posts.

If you believe there are no truist Buddhist monks in Thailand then please cite your references as for why, and how you perceive such nonsense.

-mel.

FAITH. No one word personifies the absolute worst and most wicked properties of religion better than that. Faith is mind-rot. It’s the poison that destroys critical thinking, undermines evidence, and leads people into lives dedicated to absurdity. It’s a parasite regarded as a virtue. -

depends on your version of mind-rot

buddhism fwiw is about direct experience, not faith

buddhism doesnt start with a god who you need to believe in

the buddha never asked people to have faith in him

he asked for them to understand and then experience the truth for themselves

it is one reason buddhism is unique in this world

Religion , especially organized religion is the main source of hatred in this world .

Buddhism is an organized religion , especially in Thailand, and therefore is no different in that respect .

Even if you had a point worth making, your logic is flawed, dude.

[Thaddeus]

I know exactly what science is and where it came from. You should read its history, it could learn alot from Buddhism. You should try meditation, maybe you'd be less angry.

Since science started over 14 billion years ago, don't you think that anything man-made may have a little bit of catching up to do?

[Several]

I know exactly what science is and where it came from. You should read its history, it could learn alot from Buddhism. You should try meditation, maybe you'd be less angry.

Since science started over 14 billion years ago, don't you think that anything man-made may have a little bit of catching up to do?

So, in the beginning there was science and it said "Let there be light", eh? The universe may be old but the current scientific desciption is not. Logic is a construct, not natural to life and must be learned. Humans seek an explaination for the cosmos and our place in it. Religion, art, science, even plain intuition. No one of them has supremacy, all have failings. Science is in danger of becoming like the Catholics of the middle ages, blindly dogmatic. Lord Kelvin said "There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement." 5 years before Einstein presents his first paper on relativity blowing Kelvin out of the water. This is typical academic arrogance. It needs to learn humility. There is a trend in unthinkingly espousing other peoples 'rational' ideas about religion and its evils, but religion does not test cosmetics on animals, genetically engineer food, use vivisection, rape the earth for minerals, promote use of petrochemicals, cause global warming, destroy entire species of flora and fauna, invent weapons of mass destruction or hunt whales.

As far as money and vinaya goes one of the last things the Buddha said was that the sangha could choose to adapt vinaya. They chose not to at the time, but times have changed. Most monks would have no access to medical care without money. Internet is a fantastic means of communication and getting information, and without it monks could not respond to naysayers who rarely if ever step foot inside a temple let alone speak to a monk. Temples provide many services to the community, adopting stray dogs, giving shelter to laypeople with mental and physical problems, guidance for those who want it, help for victims of natural disaster. If monks require money it is because the world placed a dollar value on everything including water. They'd tax us all for air if they could. If some money finds its way into a monastery instead of a bar, brothel or betting office then good. Even if it goes to a less than perfect monk its better spent than with politicians or businessmen who percieve corruption and greed as a duty. It also seems that monks are being attacked for things that some posters here are engaging in hourly. I recall a carpenter saying something about those without sin having the right to throw stones.

Yes there are bad monks, that does not dam_n Buddhism. The world is changing due to technology and science, are monks supposed to become an anachronism or adapt to the times? Everybody is entitled to their opinion, even if that opinion is someone elses.

[marstons]

Seems these guys lost their way with out a lotto fortune. Good and bad in all walks of life including those who tell us whats right and wrong but induldge themselves.

AYUTTHAYA – Two monks were arrested by police on Friday for inappropriate behaviour and possession of methamphetamine pills (yaba), alcoholic beverages, pornographic material and a pistol.

Police said Phra Suksawad Sutiyano (real name Suksawad Sawaengkar), 31, and Phra Ponsit Prapatoh (real name Ponsit Santatponlakarn), 42, were caught drinking beer and watching pornography in Wat Phra Ngam.

Officers also found three yaba pills and a pistol with two rounds at the monk's dwelling.

On Oct 18 in Chon Buri province, police raided a temple and arrested five monks having a party with alcohol, drugs and women in their living quarters.

Police seized drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine tablets, alcohol, pornography, knives and a gun.

[khaowong1]

It's inevitable that you are going to have bad monks from time to time, as you will bad priests, bad pastors and bad preachers. To compare some bad religious leaders with all religious leaders is asinine. After all, we are only human. There were even bad monks in the Buddha's time as there were some bad rabbi's in Jesus's time. My advice is, get over it. What did Jesus say; he who is without sin, cast the first stone. And the Buddha said; don't be looking for the splinter in someone else's eye, when you have a log in yours.. something like that. Pretty much sums it all up.