Thai monks rebuked over 'ostentatious' jet ride

[rockyysdt]

The Buddha spoke Maghadhi, later standardised (together with other local dialects) as Pali, not Sanskrit.

Here are some relevant Pali terms used in the Vinaya, as defined by Bhante Sujato::

Ārāma: originally ‘park’, then ‘monastery’, since parks (like the Jetavana or Veḷuvana) were frequently offered as monasteries.

Āvāsa: ‘residence’. The most common and general term for a place where monastics stay.

Vihāra: ‘dwelling’. A building, usually in an ārāma/āvāsa where monastics dwell.

Vatthu: ‘site’. The piece of land on which a monastery or dwelling is built.

Kuṭi: ‘hut’. A small dwelling.

As Bhante Sujato notes, "There are a large range of other kinds of dwelling specified," all of them more or less equivalent to common connotaions of the English word 'monastery'.

http://sujato.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/who-owns-a-monastery-in-the-pali-vinaya/

Many Buddhists would agree that building and/or supporting a monastery is a good thing. Riding in private jets is another story.

It seems the predominant translation is dwelling for Bikkus/Bikkhunis.

Aren't most Thai Monastery's places of worship and ritual and not dwelling places for Monks?

Doesn't that make them more akin to a church rather than a dwelling place?

My contention has been that if the offerings are spent for churches then it is being misappropriated.

[Several]

Monasteries have filled many important social roles in Thai history, and still do. To stick to a purely historical definition would deny a lot of children an education for example. Psychiatric care, marital guidance, funeral service and unwanted pet depository are a few more.

There are Wats which fit the definition in the strictest terms, through the entire spectrum down to the cash-for-merit bazzar. Thai Buddhism has expanded from being concerned solely with Nibbana to an integral part of the culture and both have changed because of it. For good and ill.

[camerata]

A monastery may have originally been primarily a dwelling for monks, but vihara and ubosot are both mentioned in the Vinaya. Monks needed a place to recite the Patimokkha and presumably a place to teach the laity. It couldn't be done outside in the rainy season. So I don't see how a monastery can be defined as simply a bunch of kutis or a sleeping hall. The monks did more than just sleep and wander outside.

[jombom]

The people I feel really sorry for, are the poor people, who have collected all this money for the big Jade Buddha. Some of them are extremely upset ---- and I mean extremely upset. It appears half the money is missing.