Thailand: Soccer-mad monks too tired to take alms
Reuters, June 22, 2006
Bangkok, Thailand -- Buddhist monks in Thailand are too tired to receive early morning alms because they are staying up late to watch the World Cup, a Thai newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The Nation quoted a woman in the northern city of Chiang Mai who said her birthday celebrations were ruined
because monks at a city temple were not awake to receive her morning offering, a mandatory religious ritual in the predominately Buddhist country.
The woman, who declined to be identified, said she was told by a senior monk that most of his young colleagues were still asleep because they had stayed up to watch the games which can go on well past midnight.
The Sangha Council, which oversees the tens of thousands of Buddhist temples in Thailand, has not banned monks from watching the World Cup but said it should not interfere with religious activities.
Chiang Mai chief monk Phra Thep Wisuthikhun said he had received complaints about "inappropriate behaviour" at seven temples in the province. "It is the duty of the abbot of each temple to supervise the behaviour of young monks, making sure that their religious activities will not be affected by the games," he told Reuters.
In neighbouring Cambodia, some 40,000 monks have been
warned they could be defrocked if they became too excited while watching the games.
"If they make noise or cheer as they watch, they will lose their monkhood," Phnom Penh patriarch Non Nget told Reuters this month.
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=1,2835,0,0,
Thailand: Rules for monks who love football
Bangkok Post, June 15, 2006
Bangkok, Thailand -- Thailand's Buddhist monks are allowed to watch the current World Cup matches on television but they should strictly observe serenity--no cheering and, most importantly, no betting, Religious Affairs Department director-general Preecha Gunteeya said here Tuesday.
According to Buddhism's strictest tenets, they should abstain from pleasurable activity. Gambling is a serious taboo.
However, he said, the department considered the World Cup tournament an international sport and Thailand's Buddhist monks should be able to watch.
"But the monk should view inside their living quarters only and strictly observe serenity," he said. "No cheering, no shouting," and, of course, betting is strongly prohibited.
The director-general said the provincial chief monks were instructed to monitor the responsible monasteries to make sure that the monks would behave properly.
There have been no complaints about
betting among monks, Mr Preecha said.
However, if an offense does take place, the abbot, sub-district and provincial chief monks would face hash punishment if the monks in their responsibility are found to have behaved improperly, he added.
Do you Yahoo!?
Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta. __._,_.___
** Menyadari apa yang sesungguhnya sedang terjadi SAAT INI di dalam diri saya maupun di luar diri saya **
** Kami kembali tuk hidup dalam kekinian yang menakjubkan; tuk menanami taman hati kami benih-benih kebajikan; serta membuat fondasi pengertian dan cinta kasih yang kokoh **
** Kami mengikuti jalur perhatian penuh, latihan tuk melihat dan memahami secara mendalam agar mampu melihat hakikat segala sesuatu, sehingga terbebas dari belenggu kelahiran dan kematian **
** Kami belajar tuk: berbicara dengan penuh cinta kasih, menjadi penuh welas asih, menjadi perhatian terhadap pihak-pihak lain pagi ataupun sore hari, membawa akar-akar suka cita ke banyak tempat, membantu sesama melepaskan kesedihan; dan tuk menanggapi dengan penuh rasa syukur kebajikan orang tua, para guru, serta sahabat-sahabat kami **
SPONSORED LINKS
| Beyond belief | Religion and spirituality | Woman and spirituality |
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
- Visit your group "Dharmajala" on the web.
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
