Offerings dedicated to monks to come under tightened check

[webfact]

Offerings dedicated to monks to come under tightened check



BANGKOK: -- Wrapped offerings dedicated to monks will now be a serious issue taken for deliberation by relevant state agencies following complaints that some expired items were mixed in the packs.

This was a proposal raised by the National Legislative Assembly’ s religion, arts, culture and tourism reform commission with the Ministry of Culture.

Mr Krisayapong, director-general of the Department of Religion, said the reform commission has requested the ministry to tighten control on retailing shops selling wrapped offerings dedicated to monks following various complaints that some shops sold expired products and some sold at unreasonable prices.

Besides Buddhist people buying these wrapped offerings were unaware of these practises of the sellers, thinking merely of their convenience, speed while ignoring the fact that if these were used or consumed, they could pose risk to the health of monks.

With such concern, he said he would invite relevant state agencies to deliberate the issue, and tighten control on quality.

They include the Office of the Consumer Protection, the Intern Trade Department, Buddhist organisations.

He said the Public Health Department will also be invited to give information on the overall health situation of monks and what is their common sickness.

Besides he would also ask if the offerings dedicated had any impact or had any connection with their sickness.

All information received will be analysed and set as guidelines for the people in making decision of what they should buy to dedicate to monks.

In addition, he would also seek cooperation from traders to sell only things that will be beneficial to both buyers and receivers, and also meet the daily need of monks.

He expected the upcoming Maka Bucha day on March 4 will see major change in the wrapped offerings.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/offerings-dedicated-monks-come-tightened-check


-- Thai PBS 2015-02-05

[Morakot]

With such concern, he said he would invite relevant state agencies to deliberate the issue, and tighten control on quality.

They include the Office of the Consumer Protection, the Intern Trade Department, Buddhist organisations.

Sad state of affairs that existing legislations and enforcement mechanisms seem inadequate to protect the public from scrupulous merchants selling out-of-date goods.

Even sader that efforts to remedy the situation are only made when monks are on the receiving end of the problem.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Morakot

[Cloggie]

You buy it at front door - they bring it back through the back door.

Same items is sold many, many times only Buddha knows how many times :-)

[varun]

There should be a tightening check on monks not on the offerings given to them; you know, the child-molesting, swindling, farang-slapping kind.

[binjalin]

nothing to do with Buddhism

[SABloke]

You buy it at front door - they bring it back through the back door.

Same items is sold many, many times only Buddha knows how many times :-)

They're talking about the baskets you buy at places like Big C. The revolving temple scam, I mean system, is ok, because the monks are protecting the environment through recycling

[thesetat2013]

This was explained to me by a Thai previously. You go and buy the offering and then bring it to the temple. Who then takes your offering back to the shop you bought it at and sells it to them for less money so the shop can resell it the same as if it was new.

I once witnessed this monk bringing these gifts packages to a shop where I was at and asked about it. That was what was told to me. The package was a symbol and they sold them for the money. Besides most people know the monks get free food during their morning prayer walks.

[Rumble]

There should be a tightening check on monks not on the offerings given to them; you know, the child-molesting, swindling, farang-slapping kind.

Only a person who hides behind a mask has the brilliant inelegance that can detour from the topic and make a racist remark.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Rumble

[kkerry]

I hope this won't cause any problems...

[Thian]

When you pay to lite a candle at the Erawan shrine a monk will take it away after 10 minutes so other visitors can burn (and pay of course) a new candle

When my wife goes shopping in Villa market she also comes home with many products that are expired, This is Thailand

[Bluespunk]

There should be a tightening check on monks not on the offerings given to them; you know, the child-molesting, swindling, farang-slapping kind.

Only a person who hides behind a mask has the brilliant inelegance that can detour from the topic and make a racist remark.

What racist remark?

[doremifasol]

So this is the reason why monks get fatter and fatter....

They eat expired food!

[55Jay]

There should be a tightening check on monks not on the offerings given to them; you know, the child-molesting, swindling, farang-slapping kind.

Only a person who hides behind a mask has the brilliant inelegance that can detour from the topic and make a racist remark.

What racist remark?

You beat me to it. I think insulting a muslim is racist in some countries, so maybe this is a spin off from that.

[Sviss Geez]

When you pay to lite a candle at the Erawan shrine a monk will take it away after 10 minutes so other visitors can burn (and pay of course) a new candle

When my wife goes shopping in Villa market she also comes home with many products that are expired, This is Thailand

No, thats Villa, not Thailand. And it's just one of their many tricks.

[NE1]

Instead of the monks chasing the money , why do they not give the surplus goods to the poorer people in their vicinity ?

[koosdeboer]

Instead of the monks chasing the money , why do they not give the surplus goods to the poorer people in their vicinity ?

they need the money to buy smartphones

[Saan]

I have seen first aid kits being sold at temples and in markets in Chiang Mai. If you look under the added wrapping you will see that these kits had been donated by the Red Cross. At one temple I saw the kits being sold to worshippers who took them into the temple and I watched as a monk returned them via a back door to the shop in the grounds.

[Nemesis7]

Religion can be a damn good business, specially in SE Asia.

[khaowong1]

Yes it happens in some temples. And yes a lot of the stuff in those plastic wrapped packages have expired off their used by date. Myself personally, when I was given one of those packages in the 7 years I lived at a temple in Khok Samrong, Lopburi, I used what I could and gave the rest away. Soap, toothpaste, candles.. I fed the sardines to the cats, and they never got sick.. But a lot of the monks would give the unopened packages to the people who took care of the temple, who would then re-sell the packages to the laity who would come to the temple. It happens in every temple in Thailand. I have been given packages of noodles on my alms rounds, that were well over the use by date, normally I would take those noodles, crush them up in their packages, and feed them to the ducks and fish in the small lake. But back to the basics of the article, which is about vendors selling goods that is way past their use by dates. Sardines, canned evap milk, cough medicine, etc. Oh yeah.. happens daily.

[surangw]

what do they really do with all those pigs heads ?

[bangon04]

You buy it at front door - they bring it back through the back door.

Same items is sold many, many times only Buddha knows how many times :-)

I too genuinely believed that the yellow buckets are not actually meant to be used / consumed. They are surely just to be endlessly sold and resold just so donors can feel proud of themselves for donating such a bright coloured and noticeable thing.

What would a Monk or a Temple do with 5000 yellow plastic buckets otherwise??? Landfill?

Edited February 5, 2015 by bangon04

[I say]

in line or sidelines of this topic. Would someone enlightens me about the purpose of young males (20-30) to join (lack of better word) the Monkhood for a short period of time. Are they forced to do so? What is the outcome of it?.

Are these the pseudo-Monks cruising the malls? No derogatory intended toward the religion.

[khaowong1]

1. I don't know what they do with those pig heads.. we never had them at our temple.. seen them at some houses of the laity..

2. You would be surprised at all the yellow buckets around the temple grounds.

3. Young Thai males, join the monk hood for a week or two or there, as a way to pay respect to their parents, grand-parents, etc. And yes, a lot of the monks you see in the malls are these young, part time monks.

[issanaus]

This was posted on a Buddhist Website

"How to Tell the Difference Between a Monk and a Monkey

Offer some money and some bananas

1.If he accepts the bananas and rejects the money, he's a monkey, not a monk

2.If he accepts the money and rejects the bananas, he's not a scrupulous monk.

3.If he accepts the bananas, and explains that money is not allowable for monks, he is a monk, not a monkey

4.If he rejects the bananas and the money, and explains that money is not allowable for monks, and that bananas are only allowable at the right time, he's a monk, not a monkey.

There is no "superior type of ordination" that allows a monk to accept money. There's an inferior ordination as an Anāgārika, which allows a lay person living in the monastery to accept and make use of money.

I also sometimes refuse bananas when they are offered, because they don't keep, and are rarely ready to eat on the day that they are offered. They are also high in carbohydrate, which I don't need any more off. Bananas are at their best when the skin has started to go black or brown in places — it means that they are ripe.

Acceptance of money is now almost universal, so don't be too disappointed about that. There are plenty of monks who accept it, but who still provide a useful service by teaching Dhamma to the community. However, saying that there is a superior ordination that allows monks to accept money is just monkey-business. It would be better to admit one's fault, making some excuse about it being difficult to manage one's affairs without using money, etc., as most monks do.

Outside of Asia, it is often difficult to get sufficient support to run a temple. Even Chithurst is now struggling to meet the monthly expenses. However, if things are set up properly, a lay board of trustees should take care of that, without the monks having to get involved in fund-raising or accepting monetary donations."

http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?t=18855

[khaowong1]

I don't know of any Thai Buddhist temples in the US that has a lay board of trustees. The abbots of these temples run everything. And I know many Thai temples in the US. And all the abbots are Thai. Very easy for them to get hooked into the money trap, and some do.

[spidermike007]

There should be a tightening check on monks not on the offerings given to them; you know, the child-molesting, swindling, farang-slapping kind.

I shudder at the reaction I would have at getting slapped by a monk. Blowing out his knee would be a likely result, with an enormous kick to his leg. Let the guy hobble around the rest of his life, with his new found humility.

The monks who are misbehaving in this fashion should be severely punished. But, I say the same thing about the priests in the west, and most of them are coddled and protected.

[AlQaholic]

I thought those gift packages was never opened. I thought they where just going around, you buy the stuff at a shop, give it to the temple, it gets stored somewhere at the temple for a while and then sent back to the store where it again is purchased by someone. Just like the little birds that you set free from a cage flies back to where the food is....Or did I just offend someone who still believes in Santa???

I would think that some of those packages have stuff in them from the WW2 or something.

[mickjn]

I like the monks