Buddhist Monks In Thailand Strike Again -- Last time fetuses; this time protesters' bodies

vinlyn

Some of you may remember a story from a few months ago where hundreds of fetuses were stored in a Buddhist temple in Thailand...and despite the horrific smell and being stored in buildings in and belonging to the temple, the monks supposedly never realized it. Ahem!

Now, in another part of Thailand, Rayong Province along the Gulf Of Thailand, police have uncovered 169 bodies of Red Shirt protesters that disappeared a year ago. While I have no sympathy for the Red Shirts, here we go again. Dozens of bodies brought in all at once, the monks never asked a single question...just secretly buried them.

Something stinks within the Sangha in Thailand...and it's not just bodies of fetuses and protesters!

not1not2

That sounds really messed up. Do you have an article or anything about this?

vinlyn

Try this: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/491628-thai-police-suspect-they-have-found-bodies-of-169-missing-red-shirts/

vinlyn

Here is the original article in "The Nation"...one of the two main English-language newspapers in Thailand: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Police-suspect-they-have-found-bodies-of-missing-r-30163165.html

Mr_Serenity

This reminds me of a story where a "possessed woman" was brought to Ajahn Chah's Buddhist monastery in Thailand. She was supposedly possessed by a demon, acting violent and screaming all sort of obscenities when she arrived. So Ajahn Chah told his monks to go dig a hole and to boil some water.

They didn't question him they just went to dig a hole and boil some water. Ajahn Chah then said; "This demon she is possessed with is too strong. All we can do is bury her and boil her alive."

After that the lady "stopped being possessed" and came back to her senses. But the monks really did boil the water and dig the hole, no questions asked lol.

Jeffrey

That sounds really messed up

dharma

When someone dies it is the monks who conduct the funeral ceremonies in certain countries. Whether it be dead relatives or basically everyone and anyone who dies , or who they found dead. In some monasteries there are burial ground even today. I guess in other countries people take it elsewhere. But in Buddhist countries they would take this to the monks just like in Christian countries most people who get marry go to the priest at the church. I doubt that they examine the bodies since many people die everyday and they always have to conduct the funeral. If I were them, I wouldn't want to come near the bodies much less probing around .

I think the title of this post is a little misleading.

Mr_Serenity

I think so too. I can just imagine the monks thinking;
"What is done is done."
And they bury the bodies. I don't think they'd actually question where the bodies came from lol.

Vincenzi

they are not even srotapannas, why trust in them as brahmis?

vinlyn

It seems to me that several of you are missing some important points here.

1. Some of you are often anti-government and into conspiracies. Okay. While I was supportive of the Abhiset government while I lived there...and since...this appears to be an incident where military forces (with or without permission) eliminated well over a hundred anti-government Red Shirt protesters. While I was against the Red Shirts, that doesn't mean that the government should just be able to make people disappear. Or does someone hear think that's okay?????

2. When wrong and bad things are happening, someone ought to say, "Wait a minute. Something is not right here." And it would seem to me that when the monks and an abbot of a temple suddenly have nearly a hundred bodies dumped at their temple, those who are most respected in the country ought to be the ones to set the example and say, "Wait a minute. Something is not right here." Instead, you have monks and an abbots turning a blind eye to murder.

3. Isn't some part of being a monk, and in fact being a Buddhist, supposed to be about compassion. So what about some compassion for the mothers and fathers and brother and sisters whose relatives simply disappeared? Don't you think they have a right to know what happened to their loved ones, instead of having them dumped and buried/cremated at a temple so they just stay disappeared?????

4. And is there nothing in Buddhism that supports personal justice?

Jeffrey

vinylyn its easy to sit in judgement. I think you would have to ask the monks why they did what they did?

vinlyn

vinylyn its easy to sit in judgement. I think you would have to ask the monks why they did what they did?

It seems to me you're just letting them "off" of responsibility because they are Buddhist and/or are Buddhist monks.

vinlyn

vinylyn its easy to sit in judgement. I think you would have to ask the monks why they did what they did?

It seems to me you're just letting them "off" of responsibility because they are Buddhist and/or are Buddhist monks. How exactly can you justify ANYONE helping to make people just disappear?

I_AM_THAT

In Thailand it is more typical to cremate the dead instead of to bury. Many of the large temples have their own crematorium and many shoot the ashes into the morning sky at sunrise with a cannon.

Jeffrey

Vinylyn, no I am saying it is hard to judge them without hearing their side. Do you see?

not1not2

It seems to me that several of you are missing some important points here.

1. Some of you are often anti-government and into conspiracies. Okay. While I was supportive of the Abhiset government while I lived there...and since...this appears to be an incident where military forces (with or without permission) eliminated well over a hundred anti-government Red Shirt protesters. While I was against the Red Shirts, that doesn't mean that the government should just be able to make people disappear. Or does someone hear think that's okay?????

Nobody is saying that

2. When wrong and bad things are happening, someone ought to say, "Wait a minute. Something is not right here." And it would seem to me that when the monks and an abbot of a temple suddenly have nearly a hundred bodies dumped at their temple, those who are most respected in the country ought to be the ones to set the example and say, "Wait a minute. Something is not right here." Instead, you have monks and an abbots turning a blind eye to murder.

Did they even see the folks who brought the bodies? How do we know they weren't the Red Shirts' allies didn't bring them? How do you know whether they said or didn't say "something is not right here"?

3. Isn't some part of being a monk, and in fact being a Buddhist, supposed to be about compassion. So what about some compassion for the mothers and fathers and brother and sisters whose relatives simply disappeared? Don't you think they have a right to know what happened to their loved ones, instead of having them dumped and buried/cremated at a temple so they just stay disappeared?????

First off, did they simply disappear, who brought them there, etc? Second, unless Buddhist temples have DNA testing, dental records and computer databases, then how are they supposed to find the loved ones of the deceased? Should they leave the bodies to rot instead? Or should they wander around Thailand with carts of dead bodies, asking if people know them?

4. And is there nothing in Buddhism that supports personal justice?

I think you are barking up the wrong tree here. Buddhist monks have stayed out of secular affairs for thousands of years and their purpose is to achieve liberation of mind. This does not mean that they are not for personal/social justice, but it seems you are placing extra requirements on them and want them to do things they cannot really do.

Buddhist monasteries do not have a CSI unit, they do not hold political sway, they do not have the funding to investigate any of these things properly. The mere fact that this is a news story indicates that they have not exactly been secretive about these goings on, and perhaps one of them reported the unusual numbers of dead bodies to a local official or to the media. I don't know, you don't know, none of us know.

So yes, the killings are terrible. They should be investigated. The karma involved in taking lives should be understood. But can we really lay blame and fault at the feet of the buddhists who are simply performing last rites on the deceased? I really don't think so.

not1not2

rereading the original article:

According to the temples' abbots, the bodies had been brought in by two men from a local charity organisation who told them that the corpses had not been claimed and there were no legal cases related to their deaths. Santhan said the bodies would be exhumed for DNA tests to determine the identities, adding that those involved with their burial would also be questioned.

It looks like the temples's abbots are cooperating with investigators and that work to identify the bodies is being done. I guess I just don't understand what more you expect to be done, vinlyn.

dharma

If you live at a cremation or burial ground, and bodies are and being brought on a regular basis. The natural thing for people to do is simply to take care of the cremation, burial, or ceremony rather than going to look at the dead bodies or examine them. One thing is, it doesn't smell too good, lol, nor is it pleasant to view much less poke around. Not having the desire to poke around the dead bodies does not automatically make people murderers nor should people be held responsible for their death. We should be careful before framing innocent people.