2 Thai monks break habit of a lifetime to fight over offerings
The Buddhist vow of refraining from harmful actions was momentarily lost on one monk who beat up another for standing too close to him.
The incident occurred early Wednesday morning in front of Bang Yai City Market when the pair got into a quarrel of which monk should stay and which monk should leave. Apparently, there is an unwritten agreement that 2 monks do not stand in close proximity and receive offerings of flowers, food or money. This is because 1 monk will get more offerings if he stands alone, 2 monks together means the offerings are shared.
The argument, between the 2 usually peace-loving abbots, became more intense resulting in 60 year old Pisut allegedly striking 83 year old Luang Phor Lamai on the head with a rock.
Luang Phor Lamai, from a temple in Nonthaburi, a province near Bangkok, suffered wounds to the head and between his eyes.
“He was stronger than me and grabbed a rock nearby to hit him on the head. He then ran away.”
It is believed Pisut had traveled from the central province of Saraburi and stayed temporarily at a temple in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok.
Jakkrit Doron, from Bang Yai Police Station in Nonthaburi, says they will question the victim more after he has recovered from his injuries. Jakkrit added the alleged attacker hasn’t surrendered himself to the police yet but says officers intend to visit the temple where he lived for further investigation.
