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    Monks in private jet have suspicious connections

    Monks in private jet 'connected'
    Published: 17 Jun 2013 at 20.26Online news: Local News

    Monks in private jet 'connected' | Bangkok Post: news

    A group of monks seen in a YouTube video riding in a private jet might be more than just holy men after a villager living near their temple said they have close ties with senior police and army officials.

    According to a Matichon report on Monday, the private jet belongs to Luang Pu Nenkham Chattigo, abbot of Wat Pa Khanti Dhamma in Si Sa Ket’s Kanthararom district.

    Monks accused of materialistic lifestyle


    The temple was unusually quiet and there were no monks or worshippers, just a few housekeepers. This could be because the abbot and about 10 monks were in France at this time, the report said.

    There is also a helipad near the entrance of the temple and several donation boxes for Khanti Dhamma Kaowna Company Limited. The company, which sells Buddhist relics, was registered on Aug 17, 2012, with a capital of one million baht.

    A local villager said people living in the area usually stay away from the temple because they think the monks might be involved in suspicious activities.

    The villager said high ranking police officers and soldiers often visited the temple and Luang Pu Nenkham had a police escort when travelling.

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    Buddhist monks jet video: Monks criticized for private jet getaway | World | News | National Post

    Thai Buddhist monks criticized after video reveals lavish private jet getaway


    Associated Press
    13/06/17 8:50 AM ET


    YouTube
    Thai Buddhist monks seen on a private plan in a video posted to YouTube


    BANGKOK — Thailand’s national Buddhism body said Monday it is monitoring monks nationwide for any inappropriate behavior following complaints ignited by a video showing Buddhist monks flying on a private jet.

    The YouTube video emerging recently showed one of the monks was wearing stylish aviator sunglasses, carrying a luxury brand travel bag and sporting a pair of modern-looking wireless headphones. It attracted criticism from Buddhists nationwide.

    Office of National Buddhism director-general Nopparat Benjawatananun said Monday that the agency saw the video early this year and had warned the monks from a monastery in Thailand’s northeast not to repeat the lavish behavior.

    A country with the world’s largest Buddhist population, Thailand has attempted to help Buddha’s 2,600-year-old doctrine stand the test of time through a variety of means, including imposing a ban on the sale of alcohol on religious holidays. The efforts, however, are sometimes tainted by the Buddhist monks themselves.

    Last year, about 300 out of 61,416 Buddhist monks and novices in Thailand were reprimanded – in several cases removed from the monkhood – because of their misconduct, ranging from alcohol consumption, having sex with women, to extortion. The Office also received complaints about monks driving cars, and scams and false claims of black magic uses by monks.

    Nopparat said the Buddhist monks in the video were acting “inappropriately, not composed and not adhering to Buddha’s teachings of simplicity and self-restraint.”

    Monruedee Bantoengsuk, an administrative officer at Khantitham Temple in Sisaket province, confirmed to The Associated Press that the monks on the private plane lived at the temple but refused to give details about the trip.

    “We can explain this, but not now,” she said, saying that the abbot, who appeared in the video, is currently on a religious tour in France.

    The images from the video contrasted with the abbot’s message on the temple’s homepage that read: “The true core of those who preach Buddha’s teachings is to not to own any objects at all.”

    “When Lord Buddha was alive, there wasn’t anything like this. There were no cars, smart phones or cameras, so the rules were much simpler,” said Nopparat of the Office of National Buddhism. “While the monks need to keep themselves abreast of new knowledge, current events and technology, they are restrained to choose the appropriate tools.”

    He said one way to prevent the monks from misbehaving is for followers not to spoil them with valuable objects or vices. “In many cases, it was the followers who gave the monks the luxury. Some bought them sports cars. This is by no means necessary.”


    "Slavery is the daughter of darkness; an ignorant people is the blind instrument of its own destruction; ambition and intrigue take advantage of the credulity and inexperience of men who have no political, economic or civil knowledge. They mistake pure illusion for reality, license for freedom, treason for patriotism, vengeance for justice."-Simón Bolívar

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    While the monks need to keep themselves abreast of new knowledge, current events and technology
    ...interesting.... for monks in the west definitely not so...

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    they would need to sell a boat load of relics to run and maintain a private jet annualy

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    Too many thai monks are no more than licensed beggars, feeding off the naive belief central to this childish philosophy that it is actually possible to purchase ones way into a better existence next time around by donating to its operators.

    The monks promote their temples by making ever more spurious claims regarding relics, visions, miracles and superstitions and the donators hand over massive amounts of money to help fundt the building of gaudy tinsel encrusted temples that resemble childrens disneyland fantasies and feed the egos and support the lifestyle of these two faced orange clad avaricious con men.

    Both the buyer and seller in this parasitic conspiracy concluding the deal with a nod and a wink.

    New age westerners and silly tourists also lap this shite up, its soooooo cooooool.




    Reminds me of the selling of indulgences in sixteenth century catholicism.

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    Quote Originally Posted by chingching
    Monks in private jet have auspicious connections
    Only one letter difference

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    Whatever became of casting away worldly pleasures?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rural Surin View Post
    Whatever became of casting away worldly pleasures?

    That's reserved for the poor peasants who constantly throw money at these clowns.

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    They gotta be involved in some nefarious stuff like smuggling...

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    Looks like the perfect way to transport drugs. Just saying...you don't buy Lear jets on donations.

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    “We can explain this, but not now,” she said, saying that the abbot, who appeared in the video, is currently on a religious tour in France.
    Yes lots of Buddhism in France

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    Quote Originally Posted by ltnt View Post
    Looks like the perfect way to transport drugs. Just saying...you don't buy Lear jets on donations.

    Could be. Although the donations that some of the saffron spongers get given are truly staggering.

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    Monks told to rein in the luxury

    Thailand's Buddhism body is monitoring monks nationwide for any inappropriate behaviour after a video showed monks using luxurious personal items while flying on a private jet.
    The showed one of the monks was wearing stylish aviator sunglasses, carrying a luxury brand travel bag and sporting a pair of modern-looking wireless headphones. It attracted criticism from Buddhists nationwide.
    Office of National Buddhism director-general Nopparat Benjawatananun said the agency saw the video early this year and had warned the monks from a monastery in Thailand's northeast not to repeat the lavish behaviour.
    A country with the world's largest Buddhist population, Thailand has attempted to help Buddha's 2600-year-old doctrine stand the test of time through a variety of means, including banning the sale of alcohol on religious holidays. The efforts, however, are sometimes tainted by the Buddhist monks themselves.
    Last year, about 300 out of 61,416 Buddhist monks and novices in Thailand were reprimanded - and several were removed from the monkhood - because of misconduct ranging from alcohol consumption, having sex with women to extortion.
    The Office also received complaints about monks driving cars, and scams and false claims of black magic uses by monks.
    Nopparat said the Buddhist monks in the video were acting "inappropriately, not composed and not adhering to Buddha's teachings of simplicity and self-restraint."
    Monruedee Bantoengsuk, an administrative officer at Khantitham Temple in Sisaket province, confirmed to The Associated Press that the monks on the private plane lived at the temple but refused to give details about the trip.
    "We can explain this, but not now," she said, saying that the abbot, who appeared in the video, is currently on a religious tour in France.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sANFgwoJeic?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    number of the beast

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    the whole lot of them are top class pisstakers ,masquerading as holy men ,inc criminals on the run ,ladyboys ,and bludgers looking for an easy life .
    theyre supposed to walk around the country in sandals not travel in planes and choppers.

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    Actually, sandles aren't usually permitted.

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    Drug transport by the Military is one of most preferred methods of drug dealers to move their merchandise globally.

    I would suspect that Monks would be a likely suspect for such a diversion as well.

    The third most utilized method for transport is by sea. There is literally no coastal searches going on.

    The killing of 11 or 12 Chinese up north on the Mekong last year by the military got all kinds of publicity, but in my recent trip to the same location of this shoot out, the Military presence has been "removed."

    The country is swimming in drugs. Daily shakedowns are viewed on the television where cops and or military catch a Yabba dealer, some quite substantial sums as well. I think there's a bigger economy in drugs in Thailand than any other manufacturing enterprise.

    Its obvious that with the quantities of drugs being manufactured, transported and caught, that this is not a cottage industry.

    My only question is...(as Dan Hick's and his HOT LICK"S), sang, "Who's Got the Money?"

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    Quote Originally Posted by ltnt
    "Who's Got the Money?"
    The guerrilla warlords in northern burma have a fair pile I reckon. Obviously their local "bank" holds various accounts on behalf of a vast array of foreign sounding clients

    Somchai Finnegan "American as Apple Pie" Escobar III being just one.

  18. #18
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    Isnt Si Saket the same province that has the abbot with the Rolls Royce?

    Same guy as in the private jet it seems to me.


    Thanks Noodles. Post taken from TD. https://teakdoor.com/the-teakdoor-lou...what-your.html (Monks in B50 Million cars - What are your thoughts?)

    This picture was taken yesterday in the Kantaralak district of Sisaket province in North Eastern Thailand.

    The picture shows the arrival of a famous monk visiting the villagers who have been displaced from the border area because of fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops.

    The arrival of the monk got a single line mention in the Nation Newspaper towards the end of an article about the plight of the villagers in the area.

    Here is the mention it got in the Nation:
    Quote:
    A famous local monk arrived in the afternoon in his new Bt50 million Rolls Royce to provide amulets and words of assurance to the mostly poor villagers.
    Here is a link to the story: As the guns roar, feelings harden among border evacuees

    No picture was included. So here's one for you.

    What are your, thoughts?


  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by taxexile
    promote their temples by making ever more spurious claims regarding relics, visions, miracles and superstitions and the donators hand over massive amounts of money to help fundt the building of gaudy tinsel encrusted temples that resemble childrens disneyland
    yes the old orange robes are a good camouflage for all sorts of criminal activity
    what lies behind the garb,rolls royces and jets ?
    personally i couldn't give a flying fuck.

  20. #20
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    RR has a new showroom at Siam P looks like they need more showroom is Essarn to cater for the wealthy monks who have suddenly acquired oodles of lolly from out of the blue .

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    Quote Originally Posted by chingching
    out of the blue
    when the Buddha said 'give up your possessions, attachments, meaning,
    the 'Im an Englishman' dump it,
    'I'm a Christian' dump it,, I'm a Buddhist' dump it
    your jealousy, your hate, your anger etc. dump it
    not in the future but now
    but instead people give up a rolls royce or donate loads of money and time
    and feel real happy about that
    until they realise they've been CONNED.
    and then they feel sick,

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    BANGKOK, Thailand — No dinner, no sneakers, no beer and no sex. An unthinkable sacrifice to the 21st century people, perhaps, but Buddhist monks must forsake them all.

    And yet a YouTube clip currently captivating Thailand, where Buddhism reigns supreme, suggests that some monks can taste luxury beyond the average man's dreams.

    The clip reveals a trio of monks draped in tangerine-colored robes. They are taxiing in a sleek private jet along a provincial Thai airport runway. Each wears flashy shades. Each has headphones plugged into his ears; one fiddles with a set that is wireless. The coup de grâce: a designer Louis Vuitton bag resting in a leather seat.

    Misbehaving monks are not new to Thai newspapers. Their pages are filled with accounts of monks on meth, monks chasing prostitutes, monks ferried about in BMWs. But rarely are monks ensconced in so much luxury caught on video.

    Exact figures on the number of monks in Thailand are sketchy: 200,000 is a common estimate though a senior monk recently confided to the New York Times that the figure may have dwindled down to 70,000.

    Thai men drift in and out of the monkhood. Although many monks remain in robes for life, two-week stints for otherwise secular men are common. Many fail to shake worldly habits such as smoking or Angry Birds during their stay. The piety demanded by an ancient doctrine is increasingly hard to sustain.

    Tradition forbids monks from handling cash but this is an almost impossible request in modern times. Monks toting mobile phones, taboo not so long ago, have become a common sight. But these are minor violations among monks who, for the most part, undergird their communities with acts of kindness and teachings of mercy.

    But there also exists a class of well-paid celebrity monks whose lives are steeped in luxury.

    The "private jet" monks scandalized on YouTube are connected to a temple in SriSaket, a province deep in Thai rice-farming country, according to Matichon, a Thai-language news service.

    Much of the temple's web presence consists of glowing homage to a monk — strongly resembling a monk in the clip — who mixes Buddhist doctrine with claims of supernatural powers.

    His personal site contends that he has walked upon water: He rose up and realized that his feet did not even touch the dust on the floor and stayed afloat when walking on the pond. And later in life, so goes the monk's lore, he meditated for three months inside a cave where a python would rest on his chest.

    Such wild claims are common among high-profile monks who count politicians and business moguls among their benefactors. On his site, the same monk hawks coins made of "USA gold" bearing his image for $33. A gleaming statuette goes for the auspicious price of 99,999 Thai baht or $3,242.

    According to Matichon, the private jet in the video actually belongs to Luang Pu Nenkham Chattigo, the abbot of a Buddhist temple. "There is also a helipad near the entrance of the temple," reported the Bangkok Post, and the abbot travels with a police escort.

    Both excessive commercialism and "necromancy" are officially disapproved by Thailand's Office of National Buddhism. (Mission statement: "To promote Buddhist scruple and buoy up Thai society.") Its director general, Nopparat Benjawatananun, told the Associated Press that the overly flashy monks had been warned.

    But he also offered a caveat regarding the modern monk's temptations: "When Lord Buddha was alive, there wasn't anything like this. There were no cars, smartphones or cameras so the rules were much simpler."

    Thailand reels at video of Buddhist monks' private jet journey | GlobalPost
    Last edited by chingching; 21-06-2013 at 08:57 PM.

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    Thailand’s materialistic monks pose worldly problems
    By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Jun 21, 2013 10:30AM UTC


    Thailand’s materialistic monks pose worldly problems | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent


    The viral video depicting Thai Buddhist monks lavishing luxury goods while riding on a private jet is just the tip of the iceberg in an ever-growing list of the men in the orange robes behaving badly – or just like any other human with worldly problems.

    Earlier this week, an YouTube video showing Buddhist monks sitting on a private jet plane sporting luxury bags, aviator sunglasses and listening to beats caused widespread attention, uproar and inevitable ridicule in Thailand and beyond. The depiction of the apparent lavish lifestyle runs against the strict and downright ascetic rules a Buddhist monk has follow once he decides to devote his life to the teachings of the Buddha.



    However, Thai newspapers regularly carry reports of Buddhist monks behaving badly. And a quick look at the headlines in the two English-language dailies The Nation and Bangkok Post for just this year so far alone make for impressive/depressing reading, depending how you look at it:

    There are two reports of drug and alcohol abuse (January 15, May 28), two cases of physical assault or at least altercations (March 6, April 3), three counts sexual abuse of minors, including underage novice monks (April 11, June 18 and 19), at least one monk caught dining with a woman (February 8), a profanity-filled tirade by a monk on the SkyTrain captured on film (January 11) and countless allegations of improper use of donation money.

    (READ MORE: Burma monk Wirathu lashes out at Time magazine)

    Thailand’s national Buddhism agency, the National Office of Buddhism, already reprimanded around 300 monks for misconduct in 2012.

    At the center of the current high-flying monks is Luang Phu Nenkham Chattigo - the one depicted in the video with the designer handbag - a 34-year-old, high-profile abbot from Si Saket province with good connections and a controversial past. He is regularly seen riding in Mercedes Benz or Rolls Royce limousines (like in this photograph taken in 2011 visiting refugees from the Thai-Cambodian border clashes – also note the numberplate with the auspicious numbers 9999), which are all legitimate donations as claimed by the monk and his followers. Also, he has allegedly been pictured lying next to a woman – on many levels an unthinkable breach of the celibate rule. His followers are dismissing this to be a malicious photoshop job. Oh, and you can also buy a statue of him for the auspicious sum of THB 99,999 (US$ 3,200) or a commemorative coin for THB 1,000 (US$ 32) – and then there’s this…

    Much of the temple’s web presence consists of glowing homage to [Luang Phu Nenkham] who mixes Buddhist doctrine with claims of supernatural powers.

    His personal site contends that he has walked upon water: He rose up and realized that his feet did not even touch the dust on the floor and stayed afloat when walking on the pond. And later in life, so goes the monk’s lore, he meditated for three months inside a cave where a python would rest on his chest.

    “Thailand reels at video of Buddhist monks’ private jet journey“, by Patrick Winn, GlobalPost, June 20, 2013

    The problem with Thailand’s Buddhism – a mixture of animism, superstition, Hinduism and the conservative Buddhist branch of Theravada of which officially almost 95 per cent of the population adheres to – is not solely Buddhist monks behaving badly (or just plain human as some would argue) or other contradictions many monks run afoul of.

    There is, for example, the problem of increasing emphasis of materialism in daily religious practice by both the monks and the faithful:

    The reformist monk Phayom Kallayano claims that Buddhism in Thailand is indeed ‘facing a crisis’. The problem, according to Phayom, is that monks these days are allowing themselves to ‘become slaves to material gains’. He notes that many monasteries want to lavish ‘enormous sums’ on building construction, ‘in the hope of attracting public donations’ from the new rich.

    From: “(Post‐) Modernity, remaking tradition and the hybridisation of Thai Buddhism”, by Jim Taylor, in: Anthropological Forum, Vol. 9 (1999), Issue 2, p 163–187

    This practice, not unlike to the selling of indulgences in 16th century Christianity, against which German reformist Martin Luther was protesting in 1521 - was popularized by the Dhammakāya Movement and has been proven to be popular among the urban middle-class. The movement, regarded by many as a sect, is known to put on lavish mass-processions in the middle of Bangkok and also claimed last year the afterlife of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

    Also, the claim by the aforementioned monks riding in luxury vehicles that these were donated show on one hand that some Buddhist monks indeed indulge in materialistic goods or at best could show the sheer naivety of some well-off well-wishers. In the latter case, such donations are simply unnecessary and pointless.

    On the other hand is the apparent utilitarian approach to Buddhism by Thais, who participate in customs and rites uncritically, since it is simply part of daily life and a tradition that has been passed on without any questions.

    As Mod darts from one donation box to the next she pauses to slip Bt100 (US$3.35) into a box placed before a statue of the elephant god Ganesha. When pressed on the significance of the Hindu deity in a Buddhist temple, she struggles to place him in a Buddhist context but agrees with her friends nevertheless that he is holy and we should not question such mystical things.

    “The Crisis in Thai Buddhism“, Asia Sentinel, February 1, 2013

    Many more issues need in Thai Buddhism to be tackled – such as the role of monks in political conflicts, the utter disregard of female monks or the problematic attitude of monastic Sangha order itself – if it is to maintain moral credibility and not descend into irrelevance, otherwise the men in the orange robes will be increasingly seen as, to borrow a phrase from German poet Heinrich Heine, those who “publicly preach to fly economy, whereas they ride in their own jet!”

    ____________________________

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    Quote Originally Posted by chingching
    and also claimed last year the afterlife of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
    ah ... fanbois

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    Bastards ... at least now I know who lifted my Royce. Reckon they'll give it back?


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