I thought we already had a thread covering Buddhist monk scandals here already. Perhaps they are just a lot of loose threads. Maybe in the future, I'll start collating them here. But for now, this is making my local news.

Monk charged with trying to kill superior in Oakland
By Henry K. Lee Updated 5:35 pm, Tuesday, June 23, 2015


A woman walks on the grounds of an East Oakland monastery where police say a Buddhist monk stabbed the head monk before fleeing. Photo: Henry K. Lee

A Buddhist monk has been charged with attempted murder for stabbing a fellow monk in the face at an East Oakland monastery, authorities said Tuesday.

Phen Sokphanna, 30, grabbed two knives from the kitchen and slashed the face of head monk Mahamonirath Pinn, 66, at the Branch of International Community of Khmer Buddhist Monks Center at 624 Douglas Ave. on the evening of June 16, authorities said.

A third monk heard the commotion and helped pull the alleged attacker off the victim. Witnesses told police Pinn’s face was “split open” and that Sokphanna fled the monastery, which is brightly painted in horizontal red, blue and orange stripes.

Sokphanna, who had recently joined the monastery, was arrested Thursday at a home in Castro Valley. He is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

Alameda County prosecutors have charged Sokphanna with attempted murder, aggravated mayhem and enhancements accusing him of causing great bodily injury and using knives in the attack.

Pinn was being treated at Highland Hospital in Oakland.