Thai monk throws money from the sky to celebrate his birthday (video)

A Thai Buddhist monk ascended into the air on a crane and threw 150,000 baht cash to attendees of his birthday party at a temple in Surin province in northeast Thailand on Tuesday.

To celebrate his 46th birthday and 24th year in the monkhood, Phra Khru Phot Suwannarat – aka Luang Phor Kaen – hired a crane to hoist him into the sky inside what looks like a boxing ring draped in curtains.

The monk flew through the sky like Aladdin, throwing 150,000 baht cash and other goodies down into the crowds of lay Buddhists who attended his birthday party at Wat Suwannarat Phothiyaram Temple in Lamduan district.

Despite much of modern Thai Buddhism being centred around merit and money, monks are actually prohibited from accepting or owning money. Thai monks are not allowed to accumulate personal wealth because it is seen as a hindrance on the path to nirvana in the Theravada tradition.

But most monks don’t follow the rule, according to a survey by Chulalongkorn University’s Centre for Buddhism Studies, in which most monks said they amassed money and some said they use debit and credit cards.

However Luang Phor Kaen acquired his wealth, and it’s nice to see him giving it back to his community, in a creative ceremony.

Luang Phor Kaen is quite a popular monk, with a Facebook group of his disciples gaining over 19,000 members. The monk is known for his charitable donations and Khmer language skills.

In another bizarre display of modern-day lived Thai Buddhism, a man laid out 100 pig’s heads in front of the famous 30-metre-tall Buddha statue at Wat Klang Bang Phra Temple in Nakhon Pathom province after winning the lottery in the latest government lotto draw.

The lucky winner, Panu Nawisamphan from Samut Prakan province, did not reveal how much money he won in the government lottery. Panu said his offering of 100 pig’s heads was to gae bon “แก้บน,” which means “fulfil one’s vow.”