Monk under fire over bizarre pebbles ritual

A monk from a temple in Chon Buri is under fire over his bizarre ritual of putting small pebbles onto the eyes of his followers. The monk believes the stones are relics of the Lord Buddha, have magical powers, and do not hurt anyone.

A video and pictures of the strange ritual emerged on Facebook and TikTok. It shows 69 year old Phra Kru Wimon Thammapirak or Kiang, the abbot of Wat Yai Promma Tharn in the Baan Bueng district of Chon Buri, putting a small stone onto a woman’s eyes. The abbot left the stone there for three to four seconds and removed it with some forceps.

Many Thai netizens commented on the video saying that the action is dangerous and they urged the National Office of Buddhism to stop the ritual to prevent people from getting hurt.

Kiang told Amarin TV that the stones are relics of the Lord Buddha and other famous monks in Thailand. He wanted to prove the magical power of the relics because religion seemed to be the only spiritual anchor to cheer people up during business and government failure.

Kiang said he uses the relics on the eyes because they are the body’s most sensitive organ. He added that he is following the beliefs and rituals that have been passed down through the generations.

One of Kiang’s followers, 57 year old Chaloempon Deechai, told the media that he has taken part in the ritual twice.

The abbot placed the relics on his eyes and left them there for an hour. He said he felt something in his eyes and it did not hurt at all. Chaloempon said he saw the negative comments about the ritual but believes in the magical relics and ignored the negativity.

Officers from the district public health office and the National Office of Buddhism visited the temple yesterday, January 2. The officers did not allow residents or reporters to monitor the investigation but they later reported that it was a personal belief. They told the abbot it was inappropriate and he promised to stop doing it.

This is not the first time people have participated in a bizarre ritual.

One group of Thai people were reported to consume the faeces, urine, skin flakes, saliva, and cigarette buts of a 75 year old cult leader in Isaan province in the belief that it would make them immune from diseases.

Another group joined a ritual and got drunk in the belief that they would become richer.