Abbot of Doi Suthep having a great time in the USA

[Loaded]

Doi Suthep, along with Wat Phra Sing, charge foreigners entrance fees for entering their temples. I'm not a Buddhist scholar but I know this is wrong. Buddhism is about donations and intentions. Now I know why they needed the money.

"Doi Suthep’s abbot caught riding roller coaster at Universal Studios, California"

http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2014/05/19/doi-sutheps-abbot-caught-riding-roller-coaster-universal-studios-california

[dave2]

re

Wat Phra Sing, charge foreigners entrance fees for entering their temple

no they dont !

there are five or six entrances to wat prah singh and no pay here desks on any of them !

there are donation boxes outside some of the buildings and near the monk talk area also where the cats live but thats it !

unless you can prove me wrong ?

dave2

[Showbags]

^ I was there earlier this year....sign up for foreigners to pay, thai not...cannot remember the price just now and there was a guy collecting the tickets at the top of the stairs.

I did not go in....having to pay was a good excuse to sit outside and have a coffee.....bugger em.

[DaamNaam]

Get your facts straight. The charge is for the lift, not the temple.

[JesseFrank]

Get your facts straight. The charge is for the lift, not the temple.

You mean the cable car that plunges down now and then ?

[Oscar2]

Get your facts straight. The charge is for the lift, not the temple.

didn't know there was a lift, but we took Japanese guests there 3 times over the last few months and were never charged a Satang to get in. but the Japanese all bought 2 or 3 amulets each so the temple did better than the price of an admission.

[Dante99]

Perhaps the issue is not how they collect money but rather how they use it. There just are not many truely Buddhist temples or Buddhist people here, nothing new and not different from religion everywhere.

Great photo though, looks like half the monks were trying hard not to soil themselves.

[DaamNaam]

Get your facts straight. The charge is for the lift, not the temple.

You mean the cable car that plunges down now and then ?

No, i meant the lift that works fine 999,000 times out of a million.

[DaamNaam]

1998 the last incident. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-6848099.html

When was the other " now and then" plunges?

[Loaded]

Get your facts straight. The charge is for the lift, not the temple.

Incorrect.

You walk up the steps and don't use the lift, there's a sign in English pointing to a ticket counter and a guy waiting to check your tickets. It's nothing to do with the lift.

[Loaded]

re

Wat Phra Sing, charge foreigners entrance fees for entering their temple

no they dont !

there are five or six entrances to wat prah singh and no pay here desks on any of them !

there are donation boxes outside some of the buildings and near the monk talk area also where the cats live but thats it !

unless you can prove me wrong ?

dave2

yes they do.

You might be confusing with another popular temple such as Wat Chedi Luang which has monk talk.

I've challenged the young monk at the main entrance several times about this. He told me the abbot told him to attempt to charge tourists. There was a sign with the word 'tickets' in large letters. I haven't been there for a few months, so it may have stopped.

Take your camera down there and up to Doi Suthep (the steps, not the lift).

Edited May 20, 2014 by Loaded

[hanuman2543]

If you can show a TDL you pay nothing at least at Wat Doi Suthep.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited May 20, 2014 by hanuman2543

[onthedarkside]

Last time we were up Doi Suthep, top of the stairs there was a sign in English pointing right for ticket entry. We just walked straight on and no one challenged us. It's a tourist scam. All the foreign tourists dutifully walked right and paid up.

[CMSteve]

Doi Suthep charges foreigners at the top of the lift and the top of the stairs, before you enter the temple grounds.

Wat Prah Singh charges for entry into the main temple structure. You can enter the surrounding areas without paying.

[BlackArtemis]

Sometimes there is a guy there making sure the tourists / foreigners pay the 30B

Last time I saw him I told him I was already there to make merit and give to the temple, he let me go without paying.

Often times no one is there and you can walk on by.

[chiang mai]

Doi Suthep charges foreigners at the top of the lift and the top of the stairs, before you enter the temple grounds.

Wat Prah Singh charges for entry into the main temple structure. You can enter the surrounding areas without paying.

Doi Suthep: I have never paid for entry at either of those locations and I've probably been there a dozen times or more, most recently was two weeks ago.

[dave2]

re

Take your camera down there and up to Doi Suthep (the steps, not the lift).

up these steps ?

i would die before i got half way up

dave2

[thamteak]

Tell him that you are not paying to enter a Buddhist temple, and then go to enter, make sure to take photos and document anyone trying to stop you or insist that you pay.

Welcome to the 21st Century and the power of social media sites, Thailand. It is your future worst enemy.

Edited May 20, 2014 by thamteak

[Frank James]

I see no harm in a few monks riding on a thrill ride at an amusement park. At least they are not bringing discredit on the sangha by inciting insurrection.

[cloudhopper]

I see no harm in a few monks riding on a thrill ride at an amusement park. At least they are not bringing discredit on the sangha by inciting insurrection.

Or sitting next to a woman on one either. Every religion has those who take it all too literally though...

[Chicog]

I see no harm in a few monks riding on a thrill ride at an amusement park. At least they are not bringing discredit on the sangha by inciting insurrection.

Or sitting next to a woman on one either. Every religion has those who take it all too literally though...

In fairness, she would be due a stoning in some countries for sitting next to a man who isn't a spouse or family member.

Maybe they had a Vegas wedding first.

[Rama]

They take vows of celibacy and not to hold property. There is no vow against having a little fun occasionally. A life of a monk is not one of gloom - it should be of happiness. Too many Christians think a monastic life is one of complete self-denial. Buddha, during his days of practicing astheticism, tried the way of beating his body through starvation, etc. As a result, he denied this as the way and instead preached the middle way as the way to Nirvana.

[PingandSingh]

They take vows of celibacy and not to hold property. There is no vow against having a little fun occasionally. A life of a monk is not one of gloom - it should be of happiness. Too many Christians think a monastic life is one of complete self-denial. Buddha, during his days of practicing astheticism, tried the way of beating his body through starvation, etc. As a result, he denied this as the way and instead preached the middle way as the way to Nirvana.

Khun Rama,

Why then so many monks own property? Own businesses? Even hotels? And Quite large hotels.

Proof allover of these facts.

[Mousehound]

30Bht entry! We were charged 15 pounds each to enter St Pauls Cathedral a few months back . 30 Bht seems pretty fair - although I don't remember ever paying that at Doi Suthep.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Mousehound

[TimCM]

I have been there on many occasions too and have never had anyone try to ask for money. This must be a new thing as I don't look Thai at all

[northernjohn]

Tell him that you are not paying to enter a Buddhist temple, and then go to enter, make sure to take photos and document anyone trying to stop you or insist that you pay.

Welcome to the 21st Century and the power of social media sites, Thailand. It is your future worst enemy.

You got that rite.

I don't know if any one read the article but I did. It was based on a picture from 2012 and it did not say that it was the Abbot of Doi Suthep. It alleged it to be him.

Then in the comments the first one pretty well justified it even if it had been him.

"I think it's great... I'm willing to bet that even Guatama Buddha was not a stickler for the rules. In his words, "My doctrine is not a doctrine but just a vision. I have not given you any set rules, I have not given you a system."

Seems like non Buddhist don't understand Buddhism and when they get a chance they take a poke at it.

Coconuts is even worse for a source of accurate reporting than the Nation. I personally hope it was him. Also I hope the money he spent on it came from the people who think monks should never indulge in a little bit of fun.

[northernjohn]

They take vows of celibacy and not to hold property. There is no vow against having a little fun occasionally. A life of a monk is not one of gloom - it should be of happiness. Too many Christians think a monastic life is one of complete self-denial. Buddha, during his days of practicing astheticism, tried the way of beating his body through starvation, etc. As a result, he denied this as the way and instead preached the middle way as the way to Nirvana.

Khun Rama,

Why then so many monks own property? Own businesses? Even hotels? And Quite large hotels.

Proof allover of these facts.

Probably because they have not reached the perfection you have. By the way I was in the lobby of a hotel today and did not see any proof. Also two days ago I had a meal in Burger King no proof there or at the movie I saw yesterday.

Maybe you are ingesting some thing that causes you to see things that are not there. Check your menu over with a Doctor.

[Beetlejuice]

No funds were used to finance those monks trip to the United States.

The boss decided to let them go on vacation for all their hard efforts over the years working for the benefit of mankind and he booked them all on a return first class flight on the astral plane. It`s one of the perks of the job.

[kjhbigv]

If you can show a TDL you pay nothing at least at Wat Doi Suthep.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Not actually true, a few months ago I showed my licence and I wasn't even bothered whether I went in or not.....just when anyone visits you have to do a trip up there. Eventually, he left me alone and I just ignored him. But has only happened a few times over the years.

I have no problem with the 30 baht, but it's the principle in my eyes but each to their own. I always put at least 100 baht in my little "good luck" Buddha for Friday anyway! I like to cover all religious bases, just in case!

As for a monk riding a roller coaster, not really appropriate, but doesn't offend me.

If they don't charge what does this sign mean?

[Loaded]

If you can show a TDL you pay nothing at least at Wat Doi Suthep.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Not actually true, a few months ago I showed my licence and I wasn't even bothered whether I went in or not.....just when anyone visits you have to do a trip up there. Eventually, he left me alone and I just ignored him. But has only happened a few times over the years.

I have no problem with the 30 baht, but it's the principle in my eyes but each to their own. I always put at least 100 baht in my little "good luck" Buddha for Friday anyway! I like to cover all religious bases, just in case!

As for a monk riding a roller coaster, not really appropriate, but doesn't offend me.

If they don't charge what does this sign mean?

Only in English as well. I guess Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian visitors still receive 30-baht donation exemptions from Immigration.