FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

No merit in an ordination ceremony that ends with thuggery  

No merit in an ordination ceremony that ends with thuggery  

Re: “Students caught up in violence can resit exam”, Around Thailand, February 26

It is outrageous that 20 men who were asked to lower the volume of music at an ordination celebration allegedly responded instead by storming into Wat Singh secondary school and assaulting security guards, executives, teachers and students who were taking their exams. 
Phra Payom Kanlayano, who hails from Wat Suan Kaew, preached on Nation TV that when a monk is ordained, he must have a clean, clear and calm mind. This incident, however, displayed the opposite. 
The goal of being ordained as a monk is not just to make merit. It is also a ritual that introduces clarity and calm. If the ordination ritual causes hurt or suffering, there can be neither merit nor inner peace. 
Trisikkha (three-fold training) is a practice that Buddhists should study as a guide for how traditional ordination provides true merit.  
Sutipunt Bongsununt

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