monks

  • Thailand News

    Two monks elevated to Deputy Supreme Patriarchs of Thailand

    The Thai monastic community recently witnessed a significant elevation in the ranks of its members with the royal proclamation bestowing high ecclesiastical titles upon two distinguished monks. The announcement, which took place yesterday, and was published today, in the Royal Gazette, marks a momentous occasion in the current era of King Rama X, which began in 2016. The two venerable…

  • Phuket News

    Retiring Phuket Governor Narong participates in traditional merit-making walk

    Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew is set to retire by the end of this month. The governor took part in a 2.5-kilometre merit-making walk in Old Phuket Town earlier today. The walk involved 15 monks, including Governor Narong. Narong recently undertook a 15-day ordainment as a monk at Wat Pa Phutthaphot Hariphunchai in Lamphun province on August 26 under the religious…

  • Road deaths

    Lorry driver’s fatigue causes fatal accident with monks in Nakhon Ratchasima

    A lorry driver’s fatigue resulted in a tragic accident at 6am today, when the vehicle collided with three monks near the Non Phet intersection in Chokchai district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. The accident left one monk dead and two others injured. The incident took place on Highway 24, Chokchai-Det Udom Road, at a milestone of 59+700 from the Chokchai sub-district. The…

  • Eastern Thailand News

    Thai man saves python from cooking pot, offers it to monks

    A Thai man saved a 3-metre long python from being cooked and decided to offer it to monks at the Kode Thim Tharam temple in the eastern Rayong province. However, the monks declined the offer due to inappropriate conditions for the snake at the temple. Today at 7am, Prasert Linsamphan brought a python named ‘Nong Jiji’ to the Kode Thim…

  • Thailand News

    Over 25,000 Thai men from diverse backgrounds volunteer for RTA enlistment

    A total of 25,100 Thai men, from diverse backgrounds such as monks and those holding Master’s degrees, applied for voluntary enlistment in the Royal Thai Army yesterday, according to deputy army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Sirichan Ngathong. The annual military conscription took a short break during the Songkran Festival and resumed yesterday. The draft is set to continue until Thursday in…

  • Crime News

    Monks on drugs: two monks busted at abandoned Phuket hotel

    For the umpteenth time in Thailand, monks have been busted for having a little too much fun. Two monks were found at an abandoned Phuket hotel on Tuesday, with both testing positive for illegal drugs. A village headman and a head monk found the monks at the abandoned hotel in the Thalang district. The monks were originally from a temple…

  • Crime News

    Raid finds all monks on drugs in Phetchabun temple

    Monks behaving badly has become a common trend in Thailand. Reports of monks stealing cars, fighting, and sneaking out for booze and sex have been increasing in recent months. One temple was found to be inhabited by illegal Cambodian immigrants posing as monks and soliciting cash donations to buy drugs. Now one small temple in Phetchabun has been left empty…

  • Crime News

    Fake monks solicit cash donations for drug money

    In Rayong province, police raided a temple where Cambodian border hoppers were impersonating monks to collect money for drugs. Five fake monks were arrested at Wat Khao Bo Thong in the Klaeng district yesterday morning. Many others fled and got away. Residents became suspicious of the monks at the temple when they refused traditional alms like food and water and…

  • Health

    Thailand’s student monks get diet overhaul to combat obesity

    After a recent study concluded that over a quarter of student monks in the Phra Pariyatti Dhamma General Education schools nationwide are overweight, a new food and health programme has arrived. The National Health Commission Office has launched the project together with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences of Chulalongkorn University, and six other organisations.…

  • Thailand News

    Burmese Junta spies pose as Buddhist monks & nuns in N Thailand

    Alleged spies from the Burmese junta, disguised as Buddhist monks and nuns, were among 54 Burmese people arrested at a three-storey building in Tak province in northern Thailand on Monday, according to Channel3. On Monday, police, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Mae Sot District Administrative Organisation, and Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) closed in…

  • Cannabis News

    Novices caught smoking cannabis kicked out of Thailand’s monkhood

    A group of novice Buddhist monks were kicked out of the monkhood yesterday after they were caught smoking cannabis from a bong at a famous temple in Buriram province in northeast Thailand. The young men – who had been ordained for a total of 4 days – were taking part in a drug addiction programme jointly run by Thailand’s Buddhist…

  • Thailand News

    An Introduction to Buddhism and Meditation in Thailand for Foreigners

      Have you ever wanted to visit a temple in Thailand and learn more about Thai buddhism and meditation in English? No matter who you are or what you have been through, iMONASTRY teaches you about the benefits of meditation and provides you with an opportunity to be ordained as a monk, with a possibility of an ongoing visa.  …

  • Thailand News

    PM Prayut wants Thailand’s monks to clean their act up

    Buddhist monks keep acting inappropriately, and Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has had enough. Yesterday, PM Prayut ordered the National Office of Buddhism to strengthen discipline among Thailand’s Buddhist monks, following a long string of cases of monks breaking the rules. The Sangha – the collective word for Thailand’s monastic community – has existed for thousands of years in Thailand.…

  • Thailand News

    Monks who got lost found in Northern Thai national park

    Five monks who got lost in a national park two weeks ago were found in the same park in Northern Thailand last night. The monks didn’t show any signs of illness, but only exhaustion from eating very little food. They had been on a forest retreat, and got lost while walking along paths. The monks told park officials they had…

  • Thailand video news

    Thailand News Update | Doubts on Thailand’s Songkran 2022

    Even after the Test & Go program was rebooted on February 1, along with the additional and unpopular Day 5 PCR test, there hasn’t been a large increase in the number of international tourists visiting Thailand. Indeed the new applications and actual arrivals have fallen well below expectations by Thailand’s tourism tzars.Now, Phuket officials are launching new plans to encourage…

  • Thailand video news

    Thailand News Update | Will Thailand scrap 2nd test for the Test and Go?

    A meeting today with the CCSA where they will formerly discuss proposals regarding possible updates to Test and Go, the most popular option for the Thailand Pass online application system for international travellers. Although there’s been speculation that the controversial Day 5 PCR test may be dropped, we won’t know until alter today. The Thaiger will bring you up to…

  • News

    7 monks receive suspended jail terms, 10,000 baht fines from Chiang Mai court

    7 monks and 1 friend who were found enjoying food and alcoholic drinks Sunday night, 4 of whom were abbots, have been defrocked from the monkhood, fined, and given suspended jail sentences for breaking Covid containment measures. Police, who had received complaints from residents, raided a location for monks at Wat Pansao in Chiang Mai. Bangkok Post says the monks…

  • Thailand News

    Pro-choice women struggle against spiritual detractors

    Starting in February, women who sought an abortion could legally get one, in the first trimester. However, pro-choice activist Supecha Baotip says women still encounter discrimination in the form of spiritual objections. Supecha says that many nurses and doctors do not want to assist women who want help, despite the procedure’s legality. She says it’s “more than just a feeling.…

  • Covid-19 News

    Monk talks man down from a telephone tower in Sattahip

    Last night, a monk came to the aid of a man who was preparing to jump off a telephone tower in Sattahip, the elbow of land between Pattaya and Rayong. Sattahip police were dispatched to the telephone tower after they were notified of the man’s situation at 9:30pm. Once at the scene, police and local media found a 54 year…

  • Pattaya News

    Monks, police, health dept help Chon Buri Covid-19 success

    Covid-19 infections have decreased significantly in Chon Buri province which was recently downgraded from the highest Covid-19 restriction zone, but what was the key to their success? Law enforcement and public health officials each have their own opinion, but a group of Buddhist monks that hosted a massive prayer session believe that they successfully prayed away the Coronavirus. After receiving…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand’s fusion of religious beliefs: Buddhism, Animism and Brahmanism

    Thailand’s people are known for being devout Theravada, or orthodox, Buddhists. In fact, the country’s government is a theocracy in which many public holidays and ceremonies are officially recognised in its calendar of events. Schools close and government institutions shut down in order to give its residents the day off to celebrate and to take part in national Buddhist ceremonies. …

  • Pattaya News

    4 monks arrested and defrocked for alleged drug-taking at Chon Buri temple

    Police in the eastern province of Chon Buri have arrested 4 Buddhist monks accused of taking drugs at a local temple. The Pattaya News reports that the 4 have also been defrocked, with the abbot of the temple ordering them to leave the monkhood. The arrests occurred over the weekend after the abbot alerted police to reports of drug-taking at…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Monk busted over ‘ice’ alms | January 29

    Police arrested a 45 year old Buddhist monk for allegedly getting high on methamphetamine at a temple in the north eastern province of Buriram. The monk allegedly told police that a follower gave him the drugs as a merit gift and convinced him to take it. Local police say they received a complaint from the Baan Kok Mueng temple’s abbot…

  • Thailand Protest News

    Monks prohibited from participating in political protests

    Monks and novices are banned from joining political protests and urgent notifications have been sent to temples advising them that monks could be expelled for participating. As the pro-democracy movement continues, some monks have already been seen at rallies calling on government and monarchy reformation as well as a rewrite of the 2017 Constitution. The National Office of Buddhism director…

  • Crime News

    Ex high ranking Buddhist officials convicted of embezzling millions

    5 former National Office of Buddhism officials, including a former chief, have been found guilty of stealing 21 million baht from the organisation back in 2015. The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases convicted the 5 of embezzlement and sentenced them to prison. They are also required to repay 21 million baht to the NOB. The convicted were…

  • Northern Thailand News

    2 drunk monks arrested in north east

    A case of Bud Enlightenment? 2 Buddhist monks were arrested in their pickup truck in the early hours yesterday morning in the lower northeastern province of Sisaket. They have been charged with breaking the national curfew and drunk driving. The two were detained in their pickup truck shortly after midnight in the province’s Muang, or city district. Police say both…

  • Covid-19 News

    Broke and stranded, Russian tourists take shelter in Phuket temple

    When their flight was eventually cancelled, they had no money left and decided to walk from the airport. They didn’t know where to go. When they came across Wat Mai Khao they asked to take refuge there. Tourism authorities in Phuket are now trying to help the 3 stranded Russian tourists who have taken shelter at the local temple. Their…

  • Covid-19 News

    Bangkok monks now sporting bespoke facemasks

    Monks (well, some of them, anyway) in the nation’s capital have begun wearing custom face masks and even facial shields, as they make their daily morning alms rounds. Abbot Phra Maha Somkiat Yansuttho and his novices from Bangkok’s Wat Matchan Tikaram temple, aka. Was Noi, wore face masks while they went out to ask for alms and chat with neighbouring…

  • Bangkok News

    Thai monks receive alms then sell them back to traders… mmmm

    PHOTOS: Sanook Just another day in Thailand with a social media post about monks seated along a city street appealing for alms at the Asoke market in the business hub of Bangkok. Sanook reports that there were many monks on the footpath as mostly Chinese tourists paid their respects and offered the monks food bought at the market. But an online…

  • Environment News

    Lamphun monks ahead of the trend to eliminate single-use plastic bags

    Phra Samutnatthee Suvathato, the deputy Abbot of the Wat Pa Book, in the Pa Sang district of Thailand’s northern province of Lamphun, says their temple has been ahead of the trend to reduce the use of plastics for two decades. Lamphun is just south of Chiang Mai. They’ve already been using a portable kitchen cabinet to receive alms from Buddhist…