monks
- Thailand News
Thai monk admits having sex, blames partner for leaked video
A 70 year old Thai monk admitted to having sex with another monk at a temple in the central province of Chai Nat, accusing his partner of releasing an explicit video out of jealousy after he made contact with a taxi driver. The Facebook page เจ๊ม้อย v+ (J Moy V+) shared the story of the monk, Jong, on October 25, including…
- Thailand News
Fungi frenzy: Termite mound sprouts local ‘mushroom’ for interest
A large number of mushrooms sprouting from a termite mound behind a monk’s quarters today attracted a significant amount of local interest. Two elderly women plan to cook the mushrooms and offer them to the monks as alms. Termite mushrooms, known locally as “hed plouk,” were discovered sprouting on a termite mound behind the quarters of a monk named Sumet…
- 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…
- 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…
- Crime News
80 million baht cash found buried at Buddhist temple in Thailand
A stash of 80 million baht cash and a pile of gold bars were found buried in the soil behind Wat Pa Dhammakiri temple in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand on Monday. The temple was searched after the former abbot and two others were arrested under suspicion of embezzling 180 million baht of temple funds last week. The three…
- 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
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…
- Northern Thailand News
Should monks be fit? Pics of monks in gym stir online anger
Some buff Buddhist monks doing reps in robes have gone viral as images of them working out in a gym caused an uproar on the Internet. The photos were posted yesterday on the Buddhist News Facebook page by a man who refers to himself as an abbott and claimed he invited residents of his temple to get some exercise. “I…
- 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…
- 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. …
- Northern Thailand News
In Chiang Rai, monk novices receive condoms as an offering
Teen novice monks in northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai province received some rather unholy offerings in their alms bowls, according to another monk at their temple. The monk posted on Facebook last week saying that the novices found condoms in their alms bowls. The monk, Phra Chingchai, believes someone might have snuck the condoms in the bowls because there are many…
- 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 | 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…
- Central Thailand News
Monks caught drinking alcohol on New Year’s Day say they were honouring ancestors
Three Buddhist monks are facing expulsion from monkhood after they were caught drinking alcohol on New Year’s Day, which is a violation of their rules. Apparently, locals gave rice whiskey to the temple as an offering to their ancestors, but a monk says they drank the alcohol as a way to “deliver the alcohol to the dead people.” Residents called…
- 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.…
- 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…
- Covid-19 News
Monks gather for a special ceremony in Pattaya to pray Covid-19 away
Hands placed together in the “wai” position and seated in chairs placed a safe “social distance” apart, monks in Pattaya gathered together at a local temple for a special ceremony to pray Covid-19 away. The Wat Chai by the Pattaya Walking Street was given special permission to hold the event where dozens of monks from other temples in the area…
- 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 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…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 found in 3 Thai monks at Las Vegas temple
The Royal Thai consulate-general in Los Angeles confirmed yesterday that 3 Thai Buddhist monks at a temple in Las Vegas have contracted Covid-19. “The temple has 5 monks, who were tested for Covid-19 on July 13. The test results showed 3 have the virus. 2 monks were rushed to the hospital in critical condition and have been on respirators since,…
- 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
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…
- Things To Do
Top 10 Things NOT to do in Thailand – the basics (2020)
Thailand is a wonderful place, full of new adventures, exotic cultures and a surprise around every corner. You better believe it. Thailand is unique in the region with very little obvious western influence throughout its history and a proud culture that puts the needs of its people first, ahead of appeasing westerners. Most of this is a mystery to be…
