Holy scandal: Love affair prompts calls for temple’s open account-ability

Thai Buddhists and netizens demanded that a temple in the Isaan province of Maha Sarakham disclose its financial transactions to the public after the revelation of a romantic relationship between the deputy abbot and a woman.

The romantic scandal between the deputy abbot of Wang Nam Yen Temple, Tinnaphon Chayaphu, and his girlfriend, identified only as Weeratha, was exposed by the Facebook news page คุณท้าวศรีสุวรรณภิรมย์ภักดี (Khun Thao Srisuwan Phiromphakdee) on Monday, November 4.

The issue attracted public attention because the woman openly shared affectionate posts about her relationship with the monk on social media. Furthermore, she frequently posted transfer receipts showing large sums of money from the deputy abbot, along with pictures of various designer-brand items.

The page recently updated followers, stating that the monk transferred as much as 2 million baht to his girlfriend. They reportedly aimed to accumulate savings of 100 million baht before the monk left the monastic life to pursue a luxurious lifestyle with her.

As a monk, Tinnaphon was prohibited from earning money and relied solely on donations from Buddhists. This raised suspicions that he might give his girlfriend funds donated during merit-making ceremonies.

Amid the public backlash, Tinnaphon decided to disrobe the same evening, seemingly in hopes of ending the controversy. However, this did not resolve the issue.

The same Facebook news page continued to call for a further investigation into both the relationship and the temple’s financial transactions.

The abbot of Wang Nam Yen Temple, Suriyan Kosapanyo, insisted that no individual could access funds donated by Buddhists across the country. He explained that all donations are deposited into the temple’s bank account, with a committee overseeing income and expenses.

Suriyan urged the media to wait for the former deputy abbot to clarify the source of his funds himself. However, the accused monk has not contacted any media outlets to address the matter.

ORIGINAL STORY: Holy smoke: Abbot’s ‘vow of lavishness’ amid girlfriend scandal

The deputy abbot of a temple in the Isaan province of Maha Sarakham renounced his monkhood last night after being accused of having a girlfriend and providing her with a luxurious lifestyle.

The deputy abbot’s violation of monastic rules was first revealed by the Facebook news page, คุณท้าวศรีสุวรรณภิรมย์ภักดี (Khun Thao Srisuwan Phiromphakdee), yesterday, November 4. The page began the story by sharing…

“Renowned temple in Maha Sarakham. Deputy abbot financially supports a woman, providing her with money and a car. I know now why the temple frequently holds merit-making ceremonies, the monk needs money to take care of this woman.”

The post garnered over 5,000 reactions and more than 400 comments from Thai netizens. The page then shared pictures that clearly showed the names and identities of the accused monk and the woman.

The monk is reported to be Tinnaphon Chayaphu, the deputy abbot of Wang Nam Yen Temple, while the woman is named Weeratha.

From the pictures, the monk was seen communicating with her via a chat application. The conversation indicated that they were a couple, with the monk expressing his love, care, and longing for Weeratha. What they were doing was normal for a typical couple but it was inappropriate due to his status as a monk.

Weeratha often shared stories about their relationship and how the monk supported her both financially and emotionally on her Instagram account. She once posted a picture of a man with a skinhead haircut lying on her bed with the caption, “Have a good day with my love.”

100 million baht target set

The monk frequently transferred money to Weeratha, ranging from 20,000 to 300,000 baht. He also told her to wait until he saved up 100 million baht to buy a house for them to live in together. Weeratha even encouraged him, saying he could surely find more than 100 million baht.

This situation led many Buddhists who frequently visited the temple to raise suspicions about the donations they made. They questioned whether the funds supported the temple’s activities or the couple’s life goals.

One monk at the temple, Suriyanto Kokapanyo, later came forward to clarify the matter stating that it was a personal issue and not related to the temple. He said the accused monk already left his monkhood and urged everyone to focus on the positive contributions the temple offers to the community.

ThaiRath reported that deputy abbot Tinnaphon renounced his monkhood last night. According to an interview with his mother, he did not return home to the province. The mother believed that someone was attempting to damage her son’s reputation by sharing false information on social media.

A worker at the temple expressed regret that Tinnaphon had to leave his monkhood, describing him as a good and talented monk. He completed his Master’s degree and even became a professor, teaching monks at Maha Chulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya University.

The accused woman, Weeratha, has closed all of her social media accounts following the drama, and deputy abbot Tinnaphon has not yet come forward to clarify the matter.