Anyone can be a monk. When I bow to a monk I'm not bowing to the man but rather his robes and the oaths he's taken.

Don't bow to monks. You can be respectful without bowing to people. You cannot show respect to the robes and the oaths he has taken when he is capable of completely disrespecting them himself. There are only a handful of people in this country you need to (or at least are well advised to) bow to.

Know your Monks!! In each of the temples in our town there is at least one pretending to be a monk. They go out in the morning, collect money and food and can often be seen giving bags of food to their wives or other relatives who come around mid-morning on bikes during quiet time. They get a lot more each day than the minimum wage, and for some it is a sustainable job. If you watch them they dont even know their prayers, they don't help clean up the temple during the day, they just sleep. Every few weeks the Abbot kicks them out and they move on to the next temple. You need to know a Monk a long time in the local community before you should trust them. We had one Monk who wanted to give my 6 year old daughter private study lessons in Buddah in his room in the wat each evening!---yeah right, that's going to happen...NOT!

People here use the orange robe as a form of absolution, thinking by putting it on for a week they have redeemed themselves of their bad deeds. Buddah said a monk should only have 'three sets of robes and a begging bowl', so, anything more and he is not adhering to the tenets of Buddhism that will lead to nirvana, ergo he is not a Monk, ergo don't bow. When I see Monks smoking and using mobiles I just give them the xenon stare! Fakes.

Good post! Charlatans have used many disguises and techniques to milk humankind for centuries. This latest instance is one of the lowest forms and deserves the scorn and prosecution that hopefully follows.

No different to England then. a lot of Monks are ex criminals doing penance for there sins.

Next time could you get your pet Hamster to reply cos it would certainly make more sense than you.

I have to agree with Thongkorn....

I've been told that many become Monks because they have problems with Drug and sex addiction.

What he says makes sense to me.

Discuss that with your hamster, please.

BTW. I do respect some Monks..

.but I look at many as nothing but beggars and scammers in orange robes. Giving envelopes to dirt poor farmer's wives and making them feel guilty if they do not give them money....... when they live much better than the farmer's families...it's disgusting!

Almost as discusting as giving any religion tax exempt status...This crap is big business. They sell dreams. Low overhead and huge profit.

I say " Tax the HELL out of religions!"

7 years ago 2 of my wife`s male cousins 1 in his 40s and the other early 50s and had no particular trade skills were laid off from their jobs and became unemployed. After 2 years they were unsuccessful in finding employment or permanent jobs. Both their wives were working and financially supporting their husbands and children, life became an absolute struggle for them.

Eventually due to the financial hardships involved both my wife`s cousins became monks as due to circumstances saw no other options for them. 1 joined a temple in Bangkok and the other cousin ended up in a remote wat in the mountains somewhere and are still there to this day.

Annnnnndddd now they are filthy rich and supporting all of the families?

Monks are part of society, if society has drugs and porn then some monks will participate in these vices. It's no big deal we are all human and no one is perfect.

Religion at it's BEST.....

Hence the reason I am an Atheist....

abitmiffed

Annnnnndddd now they are filthy rich and supporting all of the families?

Unfortunately not. It concluded with them becoming separated from the their families, except for occasional visits and more or less living separate lives.

People join the order for all sorts of reasons, including as a means of security rather than having to continue with the pressures and perhaps hopelessness of their everyday lives. But nevertheless it does not mean to say that these people do not make good monks and are not sincere in their devotion to Buddhism.

There are always going to be exceptions to the rule, but that`s all part of being human, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Edited August 27, 201412 yr by Beetlejuice

thai buddism, no surprises

at least no child porn i hope ...

Queer goings on at the monastery? Never

Temples are not what they used to be

Maybe this is why Suthep os now wearing orange

Posts containing derogatory slurs have been removed.

No different to England then. a lot of Monks are ex criminals doing penance for there sins.

You are an embarrassment, with your poor English and lack of knowledge.

Is Thongkorn a pseudonym for 'Goon'?

Dit sumwon steel yaw tois litel boi?

Something that I discovered recently is that when monks are given money,(for chanting at funerals, marriages etc.) this money is not given to the temple but KEPT by the individual monks for their own personal use... Very Thai, but not in the slightest bit Buddhist, according to the tenets they're not even supposed to touch money...

Edited August 27, 201412 yr by zyphodb

Money given to them end up at 7Eleven Electronic Burse. Personally seen when 2 of those parasites after morning begging tour entered 7Eleven to fill their Electronic Burse. As you can see on screen when they confirm, one of them have 42K the other 64K. They do it openly - no shame.

Anyone can be a monk. When I bow to a monk I'm not bowing to the man but rather his robes and the oaths he's taken.

Don't bow to monks. You can be respectful without bowing to people. You cannot show respect to the robes and the oaths he has taken when he is capable of completely disrespecting them himself. There are only a handful of people in this country you need to (or at least are well advised to) bow to.

Know your Monks!! In each of the temples in our town there is at least one pretending to be a monk. They go out in the morning, collect money and food and can often be seen giving bags of food to their wives or other relatives who come around mid-morning on bikes during quiet time. They get a lot more each day than the minimum wage, and for some it is a sustainable job. If you watch them they dont even know their prayers, they don't help clean up the temple during the day, they just sleep. Every few weeks the Abbot kicks them out and they move on to the next temple. You need to know a Monk a long time in the local community before you should trust them. We had one Monk who wanted to give my 6 year old daughter private study lessons in Buddah in his room in the wat each evening!---yeah right, that's going to happen...NOT!

People here use the orange robe as a form of absolution, thinking by putting it on for a week they have redeemed themselves of their bad deeds. Buddah said a monk should only have 'three sets of robes and a begging bowl', so, anything more and he is not adhering to the tenets of Buddhism that will lead to nirvana, ergo he is not a Monk, ergo don't bow. When I see Monks smoking and using mobiles I just give them the xenon stare! Fakes.

Smoking & wallets stuffed with cash are no-no's but they may have family that do not live locally so I do not begrudge them a moblile phone As long as it is not changed every year for the next latest. When I went up to Maha Boors funeral a year or two ago there were certain monks & dodgy guys with sunnies & spivvy fedora hats going round behind the rows of marquees in groups of 2's & threes, so i went too. Man, fist-fulls of 1000 baht notes being tucked into orange robes with some of them No, I didn't ask questions.

No different to England then. a lot of Monks are ex criminals doing penance for there sins.

You are an embarrassment, with your poor English and lack of knowledge.

Is Thongkorn a pseudonym for 'Goon'?

Thanks some times dyslexia plays up, pleased to be an Embarrassment with an opinion and not brow beaten from people like you.

Translated..- Thailand is no different to England, as regards to Finding porn and drugs in lodgings. That Monks and priest use.

A lot of Monks in Thailand have a colour full past. quite a lot of these unsavory people who alleged to be Monks have criminal records and are doing penance for there sins,

and they get a reduction on the jail term. hope that clarifies some things if not go f,ck yourself.

Edited August 28, 201411 yr by Thongkorn

What they call Buddhism in thailand, has nothing to do with the teachings of Lord Bhuddha.