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Thread: Buddhists behaving badly

  1. #1
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    Buddhists behaving badly

    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.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #2
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    He find out everyone must do kp?

    Sorry that is horrible. "Why?" would have been good to know, since they had him.
    "The perfect way to do, is to be" ~ Lao Tzu

  3. #3
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    Dude that committed the assault was a newbie at the place.

    There are weirdos within and weirdos without. Act accordingly.
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  4. #4
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    This has been happening for over 500 tears and more The only difference is that it is now documented/documentable with the social media display.
    There were various Japanese and Chinese sources about monks eating pork, getting drunk and consorting with women of the night (Japan had the mizu shobai, if I recall correctly) and then entertainment district(s) willingness to accept money from all who could pay.

  5. #5
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    ....monks stabbing the abbot in the face a couple times. Oh yeah constantly.....
    "The perfect way to do, is to be" ~ Lao Tzu

  6. #6
    That's a very sad and shocking incident. I hope that the venerable abbot recovers quickly.

    If more comes up about the background I hope someone will post it. Was this something that could have been prevented if the person were vetted more carefully before ordaining? It is also a personal tragedy for the perpetrator, though I don’t mean to trivialize it by saying so.

    About bad conduct happening "for over 500 years" in Japanese and Chinese sources – if a Buddhist monk has sexual relations he is no longer a Buddhist monk and cannot reordain for the rest of his life. This applies regardless of whether he was ever found out or was disciplined. From then on, even if he keeps wearing the robes, he is only faking. The monastic code is very explicit about this. Such a person can continue to practise as a layperson, but must get a job or survive some other way than on alms food.

    I believe many Japanese and Chinese sources are either biased, coming from a point of view that wants to discredit the Path, or are referring to what actually were fake monks who, perhaps because they never received proper guidance, failed to live according to even the most fundamental precepts. They may also come from reformers who wanted to create communities of sincere practitioners.
    Last edited by rett2; 06-28-2015 at 01:22 AM.

  7. #7
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    Do not be surprised, it is Oakland.

  8. #8
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    Karmapa Urgyen Trinley

    Top Tibetan monk faces India money-laundering charges
    A top Tibetan monk who is seen as a potential successor to the Dalai Lama is to be prosecuted for money-laundering after an Indian court overturned a decision to drop charges, police said on Thursday (Jul 9).

    POSTED: 09 Jul 2015 19:00


    In this photograph taken on January 1, 2014, Tibetan spiritual leader, the 17th Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley offers prayers at The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya. (Photo: AFP/STR/FILES)

    NEW DELHI: A top Tibetan monk who is seen as a potential successor to the Dalai Lama is to be prosecuted for money-laundering after an Indian court overturned a decision to drop charges, police said on Thursday (Jul 9).

    At a hearing on Wednesday at the Himachal Pradesh High Court, a judge issued an order for authorities to open criminal proceedings against Karmapa Urgyen Trinley over the recovery of around US$1 million in foreign currency during a raid on his Buddhist monastery four years ago.

    Although criminal conspiracy charges were filed in the aftermath of the raid, a district court had dismissed the case in 2012 in a verdict that was later appealed and the subject of Wednesday's hearing.

    "The impugned order of May 21, 2012, passed by the judicial magistrate of Una is quashed and dismissed," Judge Sureshwar Thakur said in his judgement, a copy which has been obtained by AFP.

    Local police chief Anupam Sharma confirmed that the first step in bringing a prosecution had begun.

    "We have already filed a chargesheet in the court against him," Sharma told AFP, meaning that police have filed an outline of the evidence against the accused with the court.

    The case dates back to a raid in January 2011 on a monastery in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala in which investigators say stacks of bank notes from 26 different currencies were recovered, including more than US$100,000 worth of Chinese yuan.

    The raid came after two people were pulled over by police in a car containing large amounts of cash. During interrogations, the pair said the money was meant for a land deal involving a trust headed by Trinley.

    The 30-year-old Trinley has denied any wrongdoing, saying the bank notes found in the monastery were donations from devotees which had accumulated over the years and that he had no involvement in the land deal.

    The monk is revered by followers as the 17th incarnation of the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

    He fled Tibet at the turn of the century at the age of 14, reaching India after an eight-day journey by foot and horseback over the Himalayas.

    Since fleeing, he has mainly lived at the Gyuto Monastery in Dharamshala, the northern Indian hill station that is the seat of the Tibetan government in exile.

    Trinley is recognised by both China and the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the Karmapa Lama, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, one of Tibetan Buddhism's four major schools.

    He is seen as as having the highest profile of a cast of young lamas who could succeed the Dalai Lama who has just turned 80. His appearances with the Dalai Lama have fuelled speculation he is being groomed as the Nobel peace laureate's spiritual successor.

    His spokesman Kunzang Chungyalpa said Trinley has great faith in India's judicial system. "He strongly believes truth will prevail at the end," he told AFP.
    For the record, I've done a pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya too.
    Gene Ching
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  9. #9
    Some more information about the incident at the Oakland temple, including possible motive and a clearer picture of the situation.

    According to this article

    http://www.insidebayarea.com/breakin...rested-charged

    the perpetrator was a "novice monk", which implies that he was not a fully ordained Bhikkhu. If so this is not actually a case of a Buddhist monk behaving badly, but a layperson practising for possible future ordination.

    Also, the article mentions a motive "He told police he was angry with the older monk because of his disciplinary tactics, Officer Bradley Miller said."

    "Disciplinary tactics" is a bit vague, but it sounds like the novice may have been unhappy with the rules and guidelines for practice.

    The article also mentions that the novice had been living there for a year. Enough time to build up personal rage against someone. Earlier articles made it sound like a much shorter time, which seemed odd.

  10. #10
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    This thread is disturbingly easy to ttt

    This one is slightly OT as Wu Zeheng just claimed to be a monk (a Shaolin monk no less) but was never acknowledged as one. That puts him in a similar class as Juan Carlos Aguilar

    Chinese cult leader faces criminal prosecution
    English.news.cn 2015-07-16 04:10:56 [More]

    GUANGZHOU, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Wu Zeheng, founder and leader of the cult "Huazang Zongmen", is facing criminal prosecution along with several other suspected cult members, following year-long investigations by police in south China's Guangdong Province, it was announced late on Wednesday.

    Local procuratorate of the coastal city of Zhuhai in Guangdong has instituted the prosecution for organizing and using cult to sabotage law enforcement, alleged rape, fraud, and production and sale of harmful food.

    Wu, born in 1967, got his first police record for sexual assault at an early age and was later put in detention in 1991 for fraud and rascality. In 2000, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for illegal fund-raising and unlawful business operations.

    Upon release from prison in 2010, Wu began to propagate the pseudo religion "Huazang Zongmen" as a lofty sect of Buddhism and claimed to be the successor of several eminent monks. Glorified with fabricated educational background and life experience, Wu eventually became a master with supernatural power in the eyes of his followers.

    Among many glamorous titles, Wu claimed he held a PhD of Cambridge University. But investigations at his hometown in Guangdong's Huilai County revealed that he dropped out from a local junior high school.

    In the name of charity and life science and through inflammatory preaching, Wu lured a growing number of believers who wished to study Buddhism, seek disease treatment, or ward off ill fortune by joining the cult, according to the police involved in the investigation.

    "When we arrested Wu in his locked bedroom last July, he was with a young woman in pajamas," said a police officer, who also seized philters, luxurious liquors, cigarettes, watches, jewelries and cash in his 200-square-meter apartment in Zhuhai.

    Several female followers believed "practicing" with Wu in bed could help themselves "gain supernatural power," an excuse Wu used to seduce or coerce dozens of women, including two pairs of sisters and several minors, to have sex with him.

    A follower surnamed Wang said she had been raped frequently. She got pregnant three times and was forced to have abortions. Some of the raped followers became barren.

    Police said Wu had six children born in wedlock and at least another six born out of wedlock.

    Wu set up websites and opened social media accounts to lure followers, and swindled them out of a great deal of money.

    "New comers usually gave Wu premium cigarettes, liquors and tea as presents. But he hinted that he preferred cash," said a follower surnamed Yuan.

    Wu said his paintings had "holy power" of warding off misfortunes. He sold three pieces for 100,000 to 500,000 yuan (about 81,400 U.S. dollars) each to his followers.

    Wu bought 11 wooden stamps worth about 3,000 yuan from an online shop, and sold them for 538,000 yuan as the stamps were "rare and blessed".

    Wu asked his followers to raise millions of yuan and opened an "imperial restaurant" in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, where he propagated that the dishes, priced at 2,000 to 6,000 yuan, were cooked with secret cuisines and precious ingredients.

    However, the food proved to be very ordinary and contained some banned herbs.

    Police investigation showed that Wu amassed more than 6.9 million yuan in illegal profits.

    "Huazang Zongmen" is not an officially registered organization, nor is Wu a registered monk, according to the investigations.

    In 1991, Shi Suxi, former abbot of the renowned Shaolin Temple, publicly denied any links between the monastery and Wu, who claimed to be a disciple of a prestigious Shaolin monk.

    The incumbent abbot Shi Yongxin also said "Shaolin has nothing to do with Wu." Most of Wu's writings turned out to be either plagiarisms or unlawful.

    To whitewash his past, Wu said his imprisonment was "religious persecution", in order to seek overseas support.

    Due to his followers' lobbying, 17 U.S. lawmakers jointly sent a message to the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., demanding an end to the so-called "persecution".

    Wu called the police bust of his cult "a crackdown on charity", and asked his followers to formulate "A Response Plan to Emergency".

    According to the plan, if Wu disappeared for more than 24 hours, followers are required to stage protests and publish the situation abroad to pressure the Chinese government.

    Wu also hired a Beijing-based lawyer to lecture his followers how to cause the police trouble and hinder law enforcement.

    Shi Mingsheng, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, said "Huazang Zongmen" conforms to the Buddhism "by no means" and it is purely "a disguised cult".
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  11. #11
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    LOL!!

    I ran into one downtown Toronto on Saturday.

    Comes up to me with a Hui Ke bow, holds out his hand.

    I said to him "Dude, you're wearing f#c*%ng leather shoes" and walked around him.

    jerk. lol
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  12. #12
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    I stole the victim’s underwear to teach her that - best excuse ever...

    60-year-old Buddhist priest arrested for panty theft, would’ve got away if not for his high heels
    Casey Baseel
    2 days ago



    It stands to reason that, upon reaching the age of 60 years, a man will find himself in possession of knowledge that he wants to share with younger generations. As a matter of fact, he may even feel compelled to do so, especially if his vocation is one that involves the dissemination of important lessons.

    That might have been a factor in the decisions made by Shoden Yamazaki, former head priest of the Choshoji Buddhist temple in Akita Prefecture. And, truth be told, the lesson he claims he wanted to spread, “If you’re not careful, people might steal your lingerie,” is a valuable one.

    However, being a good teacher is as much about how you deliver the message as it is the message itself. While it drives the point home, warning people about underwear security by dressing up in a skirt and high heels, then stealing their bras and panties, probably isn’t the best, or even really legal, methodology, which is why Yamazaki now finds himself on trial for lingerie theft.

    This isn’t the 60-year-old Yamazaki’s first time to end up on the wrong side of anti-underwear theft legislation. During the investigation, it came to light that he began stealing underwear, upper elementary school girls’ in particular, at the age of 19. He continued his activities even after getting married (unlike their Catholic counterparts, Buddhist priests in Japan are allowed to wed), although when he was caught stealing underwear at the age of 29, he took a five-year break from his criminal activities.

    He started up again at the age of 34, though, but was apparently able to keep his perversions well enough on the down low that in 2006 he assumed the position of head priest at Choshoji Temple. You’d think the added responsibilities would leave him less time for grabbing strangers’ panties hanging on their balconies to dry, but according to the prosecution, Yamazaki instead added a new wrinkle, and since four years ago has been dressing as a woman while on lingerie-stealing excursions.

    The prosecutors claim that on June 16 Yamazaki set out from his home in Yurihonjo City by car, stopping in Kitagami City to change into a skirt and high heels. He then proceeded to Akita City, the prefectural capital, and found an adult woman’s bra and panties drying outside a first-floor apartment at around 11:30 p.m.

    Seizing the opportunity, prosecutors say Yamazaki helped himself to the woman’s underwear. And he would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for those meddling high heels. From inside the apartment, the husband of the lingerie’s owner heard the clack of the footwear on the pavement. Spotting Yamazaki’s suspicious figure, the husband called out “Hey!”, to which Yamazaki cleverly retorted “This aint got a **** thing to do with me!” His ruse would probably have been more effective if, being dressed in women’s clothing, he’d refrained from using ore, the Japanese word for “me” that’s used almost exclusively by males, but everyone cracks under pressure sometimes.

    Seeing through the disguise, the couple called the police. Yamazaki was subsequently arrested, after which he resigned from his position as head priest of Choshoji.

    Yamazaki’s trial opened on August 24, during which he asserted that:

    “It is dangerous to hang your underwear to dry outside in the middle of the night, so I stole the victim’s underwear to teach her that.”

    The prosecutor responded with the obvious question “Isn’t that an unusual way of thinking?” because when the defendant himself is already using words like “stole” and “victim” to describe the incident, well, your job is pretty much being done for you.

    Yamazaki’s wife also took the stand, stating:

    “I knew my husband was into that sort of thing when he was younger, but I did not think he was still interested in it. I think stress was one of the causes.”

    The prosecution is seeking one year in prison for Yamazaki, while the defense is asking for a suspended sentence, based on the fact that the defendant has been undergoing psychological treatment as a sex offender.

    Source: Sankei News via Jin
    Top image: Dresswe
    Get your monks robes here (high heels not included)
    Gene Ching
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  13. #13
    “It is dangerous to hang your underwear to dry outside in the middle of the night, so I stole the victim’s underwear to teach her that.”
    Priceless.

    Still, Japanese Buddhist priests, as in this story above, aren't Buddhist monks. They're laymen, are allowed to marry, own property and a host of other things. Of course these lay priests shouldn't steal either. But technically this case doesn't match the thread title, and doesn't reflect on the Sangha of Bhikkhus. I realize I'm nitpicking, but still. The journalist got it right, to her credit.
    Last edited by rett2; 08-27-2015 at 11:44 PM.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by rett2 View Post
    Priceless.

    Still, Japanese Buddhist priests, as in this story above, aren't Buddhist monks. They're laymen, are allowed to marry, own property and a host of other things. Of course these lay priests shouldn't steal either. But technically this case doesn't match the thread title, and doesn't reflect on the Sangha of Bhikkhus. I realize I'm nitpicking, but still. The journalist got it right, to her credit.
    Well they aren't technically laymen - they are Buddhist priests/ pastors/ ministers who are allowed to marry actually. They study Buddhism and take certain oaths as Buddhist ministers and are able to retain the household. However, there are still many Buddhist monks as well in Japan.

    It began in the early Meiji period (1868-1912) when monks were ordered by government authorities to adopt common surnames and allowed to marry, to have children, and to eat meat–today extends to all the country’s Buddhist denominations.

    One of my friends/ classmates is a Buddhist minister from Japan and does sermons at very well known temple here in Los Angeles. He's also married with 2 kids. But I don't think he wears heels!

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by ShaolinDiva View Post
    Well they aren't technically laymen - they are Buddhist priests/ pastors/ ministers who are allowed to marry actually. They study Buddhism and take certain oaths as Buddhist ministers and are able to retain the household. However, there are still many Buddhist monks as well in Japan.

    It began in the early Meiji period (1868-1912) when monks were ordered by government authorities to adopt common surnames and allowed to marry, to have children, and to eat meat–today extends to all the country’s Buddhist denominations.

    One of my friends/ classmates is a Buddhist minister from Japan and does sermons at very well known temple here in Los Angeles. He's also married with 2 kids. But I don't think he wears heels!
    Thanks for the info and good point about the term layman - I was using it a bit too loosely just to mean "non monastic". I think it's great that modern Buddhism has developed ways for non-monks/nuns to become recognized as practitioners and teachers, for example through the kind of priest ordination you describe.
    Last edited by rett2; 08-31-2015 at 04:35 AM.

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