Current Day Buddhist Monks: Everybody was KF fighting.

[xcakid]

Somehow I found this news item amusing. Would've been cool to see video, granted these were not Shaolin Fighting monks.

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Link to story

Link to pics and story

Buddhist monks clash in Cambodia amid anti-Vietnam protest
(Kyodo) _ At least two Buddhist monks were injured Friday in a street clash in Cambodia's capital between two opposing groups of monks during a protest against Vietnam, which some monks accuse of suppressing religious freedom.
The demonstration march was made by some 40 monks, most of whom identified themselves as Khmer Krom, an ethnic Khmer minority people of Vietnam who inhabited the Mekong Delta area prior to the colonization of that area by Vietnamese settlers.

The marchers were demanding relief from alleged religious suppression of Khmer Krom by Vietnamese authorities, and had hoped to deliver a protest letter to the Vietnamese Embassy but were dispersed by some 150 riot police.

They then walked to the Royal Palace, where the clash occurred, and to the U.S. Embassy.

Marcher Lim Yuth, 23, his face bloody from a cut above his eye, said he was injured by an object thrown by a small group of Buddhist monks, still unidentified, during his group's peaceful march.

It was unclear whether the Buddhist monks who clashed with the marchers acted on their own or under orders from above. ADVERTISEMENT



Khmers are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90 percent of the country's 14 million people.

The area of southern Vietnam where as many as 1 million ethnic Khmer reside is known in Cambodia as Kampuchea Krom. It was once part of Cambodia's territory but was made part of Vietnam by French colonial authorities in 1949.

Kampuchea Krom organizations and communities based in the region and abroad have long accused Vietnam of mistreating its ethnic Khmer minority.

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[bodhitree]

Peaceful monks

[GeneChing]

Japanese monks karate chop, chant in funeral contest
by Kyoko Hasagawa
1 day ago

Japanese Buddhist monks strutted their stuff Wednesday in a contest highlighting sutra chanting skills, giving funeral sermons and, surprisingly, loud karate chops.

The contest, held on the sidelines of Japan's first ever expo on the business of death and dying, was aimed at winning back public interest in funeral services offered by priests and monks as more people seek alternatives to traditional burial customs.

Wearing pale gold, purple, or black and white robes, the eight monks walked calmly onto a stage one by one, bowing to an audience of about 100 people with their palms together.

They then proceeded to give short sermons and also chant solemn sutras and Buddhist songs, key requirements for conducting wakes and funerals according to the rites of the ancient religion.

- Shift from tradition -

But one of the contestants, Taigen Yokoyama, showed off a different talent, demonstrating his technique in the Japanese martial art of karate by breaking a pile of 10 tiles with his bare right hand.

"Ha!" he shouted, followed by the cacophonous sound of tiles shattering.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you," he added calmly.

The event was held in conjunction with the Life Ending Industry Expo, which attracted more than 200 companies involved in the business of death and funerals.


Provided by AFP
Buddhist monk Taigen Yokoyama demonstrates his karate technique by breaking tiles at the Life Ending Industry Expo in Tokyo, on December 9, 2015


Shoyo Takiyoshi, a Buddhist monk from a temple in Hokkaido, rings a bell and chants a hymn at the Life Ending Industry Expo in Tokyo, on December 9, 2015


Japanese Buddhist monks compete in test of skills
3/3 SLIDES © Provided by AFP

It followed another unique competition the previous day that highlighted the work of the declining number of specialists who prepare the dead for Buddhist funerals and cremations.

Observers say an increasing number of people are cutting ties with traditional Buddhist temples and are not building new tombs in graveyards, citing growing individualism and shortage of younger family members who can take care of graves.

"It's getting more and more difficult for monks to maintain their temples as a business as the temple memberships are declining, especially in the countryside," said Mayumi Tominaga, a spokeswoman for the event.

"The number of people who die will peak in 2040 in Japan, but many elderly people are choosing to stop using their ancestral tombs," she said.

The winner of the "Beautiful Bozu (monk) Contest" was Shouyo Takiyoshi from a temple in northern Hokkaido, who sang melancholic Buddhist songs.

He was selected the winner based on the votes of audience members as well as a five-judge panel of company managers, a monk and a pianist.

"It was interesting to see monks in a scene different from funerals" usually filled with a solemn atmosphere, said Sae Igarashi, 24, who works for a company offering ceremonial services.

Yokoyama, who performed the karate chop, said he is also pursuing a parallel career as a nurse.

"Priests often meet people for the first time after their death," he said, stressing that he wanted to know and care for people fighting illness or other difficulties.

As an example, he mentioned an elderly woman who had forgotten her own name because of dementia but still cared for her children in her mind.

"I found the heart of Buddha in her," he said.

A funeral contest? Cool.