what could be weong with swimming?it is as natural as walking, religion ruins everything,

The 227 rules were written over 2000 years ago, when most swimmers went in the nude. There is really a need to bring the rules to the 21st century. It's not going to happen. Any kind of sporting activity is banned. Soccer, basketball, badminton, football, billiards, poker and of course, swimming.

Did Buddha even endorse monasteries? I thought he said to use your own brains, instead of creating a bog standard power hungry religious institution.

The famous Thai monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu scorned Thailand's Buddhist estblishment. He founded the forest monastery in Suan Mokkh, which has no temple as such. BB felt that the forest was the temple and wouldn't allow Buddha statues to be erected. He would point to a rock saying "This is Buddha" because as far as he was concerned Buddha simply means nature,

When he became famous, he sent the Buddha statues that kept arriving back to their owners. It was only when one day a Buddha statue arrived without the sender's address that he allowed it to be put up somewhere on the property. When he gave discourses, he sat on a rock and his disciples on rocks arranged around him.

One time, when he was invited to Bangkok to be assigned a ranking in the Buddhist hierarchy, he declined and didn't go to Bangkok.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208586756244310&set=a.1071743471760.12276.1171342849&type=3&theater

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu was the real deal. Only been a few like him. In his time, the Thai authorities including the Buddhist Sangha authorities didn't like him. After he died he became a hero. He was kind of a socialist, but if you get a chance to read some of his teachings, I don't think you could dis-agree with his opinions.

True story.

I was at a karaoke bar one night a few months back which was packed with ladies for hire. This guy sitting at a table beside us was having some beers and gets up on stage dressed like Justin Bieber and sings a few songs. At the end of the night when the bar closed at 5am the guy picks up his orange chafron robe and staggered out of the bar. He was a freakin monk.

Monks in Thailand are a joke.

So the soothsayers, amulet purveyors and quacksalvers have free reign but a cooling frolic for the novices is sinful? Silly buggers.

Just as Christianity and Islam has been "perverted" by extremists to reflect their personal needs so has Buddhism, it seems.

"He added that he did not know which temples."

Yeah, right ! Of course he didn't

.

And would he even care - not necessary to know to run a boat hire business

Buddha would be rolling in his grave, if he had a grave!

My wife's uncle is a monk in Bangkok he comes to the village almost every month throwing money around and taking family members on holidays all expenses paid. I think it is very lucrative being a Thai monk.

"He added that he did not know which temples."

Yeah, right ! Of course he didn't

.

And would he even care - not necessary to know to run a boat hire business

Its the first thing thais always ask whatever they run

Don't you all miss the good old days, when Buddhist Monks had a bit of integrity..?

I remember one time my girlfriend and I were with her young niece and nephew (and yes it was her niece and neohew) at Zeer in Rangsit and the boy seen two monks looking at phones and he was quite surprised to see these monks in a predominantly electronics store and asked why they were even there.

Recent reports of the amounts of money that pass through temple bank accounts is astonishing. Private jet ownership, luxury car

with driver, female partners, land ownership, international travel, is bringing the system under close watch.

Even the misuse of funds as mentioned, has shown to have been extended to some of the monks (extended family) Amounts mentioned

can only come from corruption of government budget funds as the local families in a rural 100 square mile area could not rake these amounts

even if they all chipped all they had or could borrow on. Otherwise they and some banks are laundering what is being stolen from

the very people who furnish the monks shelter, food, clothing, and seemingly much much more.

These type should be denoted as witches, not monks, and burnt at the stake, Then use donations to help those in need not those

hidding from the law and robbing from those who can least afford it.

In the case of those temples with large amounts of money on display, there is an old adage that still works, Follow the Money.