Monks: Can't Keep 'Em Down
This article appeared several days ago in The Nation, a major newspaper here in Thailand:
"Soccer-mad monks hit for missing alms-giving"
- Chiang Mai
Local villagers have complained that monks and novices in this northern province have been watching World Cup matches throughout the night, causing them to skip their morning walk to beg for alms.
A woman who asked that her name be withheld said she and her family had prepared food to give to monks at a temple on the occasion of her birthday.
However, at the temple she found a sign saying the abbot was not in.
So she gave alms to a monk who told her that most monks had been watching all the World Cup matches and were too exhausted to wake up next morning.
When she was about to leave the temple, she saw the abbot and some other bleary-eyed monks stumbling from the residence where the sign declared that the abbot was not in.
Wallop Namwongprom, a member of a monks' administration committee, said it was not against the rules for monks to watch football.
"But their viewing TV will be considered against the rules if it affects their morning activities," he said.
It would surely be considered a serious violation if they were involved in gambling, he said.
"We beg senior monks to act properly and warn their juniors to refrain from any improper activities concerning the World Cup," he said.
Meanwhile, Phra Kru Sophonkaweewat, deputy abbot of Jedee Lung Wiharn Temple in Chiang Mai, said the temple has a school and a university for monks under its jurisdiction, attended by some 700 ordained students.
"We have issued strict regulations for the student monks during the World Cup," he said.
"We allow them to watch some matches but they are prohibited from watching all of them and engaging in noisy cheering.
"And no gambling is allowed," he said.
"If anyone violates the rules or excessive TV viewing affects their studies, the maximum penalty is dismissal, he said.
(End of article)
We discussed this article in my classes, and people were relatively split on whether or not the monks should be allowed to watch all of the matches. It seemed like most of the Christian students were okay with it, but some of my Buddhist students - one in particular - said they are monks and have chosen to make certain sacrifices. The vast majority of students said a little bit of football is fine.
My camera seems to be mal-functioning. I took somewhere around 200 pictures and 10 video segments since the last time I loaded photos onto my computer, but these files aren't loading. So I'm still using old pictures on the blog. Does anyone have any suggestions? They would be much appreciated.
"Soccer-mad monks hit for missing alms-giving"
- Chiang Mai
Local villagers have complained that monks and novices in this northern province have been watching World Cup matches throughout the night, causing them to skip their morning walk to beg for alms.
A woman who asked that her name be withheld said she and her family had prepared food to give to monks at a temple on the occasion of her birthday.
However, at the temple she found a sign saying the abbot was not in.
So she gave alms to a monk who told her that most monks had been watching all the World Cup matches and were too exhausted to wake up next morning.
When she was about to leave the temple, she saw the abbot and some other bleary-eyed monks stumbling from the residence where the sign declared that the abbot was not in.
Wallop Namwongprom, a member of a monks' administration committee, said it was not against the rules for monks to watch football.
"But their viewing TV will be considered against the rules if it affects their morning activities," he said.
It would surely be considered a serious violation if they were involved in gambling, he said.
"We beg senior monks to act properly and warn their juniors to refrain from any improper activities concerning the World Cup," he said.
Meanwhile, Phra Kru Sophonkaweewat, deputy abbot of Jedee Lung Wiharn Temple in Chiang Mai, said the temple has a school and a university for monks under its jurisdiction, attended by some 700 ordained students.
"We have issued strict regulations for the student monks during the World Cup," he said.
"We allow them to watch some matches but they are prohibited from watching all of them and engaging in noisy cheering.
"And no gambling is allowed," he said.
"If anyone violates the rules or excessive TV viewing affects their studies, the maximum penalty is dismissal, he said.
(End of article)
We discussed this article in my classes, and people were relatively split on whether or not the monks should be allowed to watch all of the matches. It seemed like most of the Christian students were okay with it, but some of my Buddhist students - one in particular - said they are monks and have chosen to make certain sacrifices. The vast majority of students said a little bit of football is fine.
My camera seems to be mal-functioning. I took somewhere around 200 pictures and 10 video segments since the last time I loaded photos onto my computer, but these files aren't loading. So I'm still using old pictures on the blog. Does anyone have any suggestions? They would be much appreciated.
posted by Soe Lin Aung at 2:43 AM
2 Comments:
Comrade: it has been a pleasure to keep up with you virtually...I can't wait to get the stories in person. You know, your last two posts have resonated together in my head this week. As much as my debauched life of Brooklyn thuggery has been saturated with hedonism, it has also proved to me that NYC offers a hell of a lot more than the uptown bubble. And nothing has made that fact clearer than the World Cup--I've danced madly with Angolans in a South African bar, raised chickpea doubles in celebration at a Trinidadian lunch-stop, & heckled a gaggle of Spanish tourists over café (the first half) and des bières (the second). So when you return, let's make a pact: bring a little bit of Burma with you, and we'll seek out the whole world in the span of five beautiful boroughs. Take care, mate.
so i come back from my trip expecting to find at least three posts. what do i find? not one new one. come on you. at least some critical independence day commentary, please.
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