News Forum - Buddhism Office says Thai Buddhists shouldn’t judge monks’ behaviour

[Thaiger]

The director of the National Buddhism Office says it’s not for Thai Buddhists to judge the behaviour of monks, which should be left to Buddhist councils. Instead, Thai Buddhists should continue to respect monks and refrain from judging them for their misdeeds. According to a Pattaya News report, Sippaworn Kaewngam says respect for Buddhist monks is a key component of the religion and crucial to developing Buddhism in Thailand. “Everyone must work together to protect Buddhism. Don’t use your own thoughts to judge things above the law and disrespect the power of the Buddhist council. This will confuse people. A […]

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[Pompies]

Fascinating that some are seen to be above judgement and reproach. And yet these same people expect the ordinary person to finance their existence. In my book anyone who requires me to pay for their indolent lives is to be held to the same standards as everyone else. 

[Prosaap]

Typically thai blame the people who talk the true about bad monks not blame the monks who do bad 

[ThaiEyes]

1 hour ago, Pompies said:

Fascinating that some are seen to be above judgement and reproach. And yet these same people expect the ordinary person to finance their existence. In my book anyone who requires me to pay for their indolent lives is to be held to the same standards as everyone else. 

Indeed. This is BS. The Buddhism Council shouldn’t be dictating anything to anyone who’s not a monk. Monks are simply men who’ve chosen to be detached from regular society. This does not garner them instant respect which must be earned. Just like disrespect for some is gained. We reap what we sow. The Council should own this and take responsibility while not complaining about those outside the monkhood lest they see their donations take a dump. 

[HiuMak]

1 hour ago, ThaiEyes said:

Indeed. This is BS. The Buddhism Council shouldn’t be dictating anything to anyone who’s not a monk. Monks are simply men who’ve chosen to be detached from regular society. 

They are indeed simple, wearing a gold Rolex and driving a Mercedes Benz

[Tanuki]

IMO monks are the true leaches of Thai society...Thais seem brainwashed into giving alms/money to them..even if the Thai person is very poor they are expected to contribute.. It sickens me to witness this on a daily basis & I vowed years ago that they will never get a single baht from my pocket... Rant over.

[Cabra]

“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” - Marcus Aurelius. True for Stoics and Buddhist. But it's high time the council do something, because there way too many of these "monks behaving badly" stories of late. It's not a surprise that all the world's major religions are in turmoil. And the Buddhist council is not helping their particular cause. 

[Morpheus]

Sounds like religions around the world. Cover up the story and and we will be judge and jury. A bit like Thai police. 

[Guest1]

“Everyone must work together to protect Buddhism. Don’t use your own thoughts to judge things above the law and disrespect the power of the Buddhist council. This will confuse people.

They learning from the Catholics, don't they? Never question us in power, in the religion. Btw, . Buddhism is a way of life, not a religion. Just that would not give the power, a religion has over people, wouldn't it?

[Cabra]

28 minutes ago, Guest1 said:

Btw, . Buddhism is a way of life, not a religion. Just that would not give the power, a religion has over people, wouldn't it?

Followers of Buddhism don't acknowledge a supreme god or deity. But it is most definitely a religion. Buddhism is a non-theistic religion (no belief in a creator god)

[Pinetree]

7 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Thai Buddhists to judge the behaviour of monks, which should be left to Buddhist councils. Instead, Thai Buddhists should continue to respect monks and refrain from judging them for their misdeeds.

The most pathetic sentence I have ever heard uttered by the Thais.  Anyone following the Thai Buddhist tradition needs their heads examining.   I have no time for Thai monks, or their temples.  if people must follow Buddhism, they should study the Nepalese version. That is at least is a lot more honest. 

[Pinetree]

6 hours ago, ThaiEyes said:

Monks are simply men who’ve chosen to be detached from regular society.

A lot of them because they have committed a crime and been given monkhood as a alternative to jail. 

[palooka]

Think the monks themselves should be reporting wayward monks to this Council. 

Why are they leaving it up to the public to become aware of these "religious drop kicks" and for them to report them?

Heck they live in a confined area with them or is it "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." ie cop out.

Have a local temple that has been been built by one monk, totally financed by himself, worked hard all his life then became a monk.  He welcomes many monks to his Wat but none stay, his beliefs are strictly pure bhuddism and the visiting monks are not up to it. So he has a nice temple in beautiful grounds and lives their alone with his dog.

[Fanta]

Self policing rarely works well when humans are involved. 

[Guest1]

1 hour ago, Cabra said:

Followers of Buddhism don't acknowledge a supreme god or deity. But it is most definitely a religion. Buddhism is a non-theistic religion (no belief in a creator god)

But that is, what man made out of Buddhas way. It was not what Buddha had in mind. Just it gave so many people power over believers, as soon as  it was made one.

Imho, the difference between a religion and a sect is just the numbers of followers and the age of existing. Think about it, if the catholic church would start now, with a couple of thousand believers, what would it be called? ;-)

[Ivo_Shandor]

The NBO is full of BS

[Rookiescot]

Religion. Such an emotive subject.

Every religion on the planet has some good guys and some who are out just for themselves.

For me its the dogmatic adherence to books which were written thousands of years ago which is the problem. How do you square "an eye for an eye" with "turn the other cheek"?

How does "Live in peace and harmony with non believers" match "it is the duty of every follower to kill infidels"?

How does a stated vow of poverty end up with churches, mosques, synagogues and temples covered in gold?

I dont actually think religion is a bad thing for those who wish to follow it because ALL the major religions seem to have, at their root, some good advice for how to live and conduct yourself in society. The problem for me is that as the religions became bigger and more powerful they stopped believing all that and started to vie for more power and money. All through history they have controlled populations to their own ends and continue to do so today. 

Personally I am not religious. A part of me is envious who those who are because they can always blame their failings on the will of God or Allah or Buddha. Must be great to have a "get out of jail for free card". Yeah I know there is a rule about envy 

[astro]

2 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

How do you square "an eye for an eye" with "turn the other cheek"?

How does "Live in peace and harmony with non believers" match "it is the duty of every follower to kill infidels"?

Context, like when it was written and the circumstances.

Re the first one: Old Testament versus New Testament written after the New Covenant.

Re the second one: the duty to kill applies to war times and was written at such a time.

 

The same applies to oral teachings, even more so:

When was it said, to whom and under which circumstances.

[RichardR]

I wonder if the Buddhist counsel is free of corruption, especially after reading an 2018 article about Thai military cleaning up corruption in buddhism

 

Quote from theguardian

"cleaning up the Sangha, the name of the Thai Buddhist order, and among the six arrested are several elderly monks on the Sanghka supreme council, the country’s Buddhist governing body."

[Pinetree]

22 minutes ago, RichardR said:

I wonder if the Buddhist counsel is free of corruption, especially after reading an 2018 article about Thai military cleaning up corruption in buddhism

Quote from theguardian

"cleaning up the Sangha, the name of the Thai Buddhist order, and among the six arrested are several elderly monks on the Sanghka supreme council, the country’s Buddhist governing body."

Not really a surprise.