A monk at Tiger Temple spraying urine on a tiger to induce submission.
(Picture from The Star)
It all started with a natural bonding between a Buddhist monk and a tiger. And this widened into a community of monks and tigers attracting world wide interest and media coverage, including a documentary by Animal Planet.
Now the latest report in The Star is most shocking!! It reported that " this conservation facade of the monastery in Kanchanaburi province, 322km north of Bangkok, has crumbled under the weight of a damning report released late last month by UK-based Care for the Wild International (CWI)." It further reported that the temple, far from being a rescue centre, was operating as a commercial breeding establishment, mistreating the animals which they were supposed to protect.
The report "Exploiting the Tiger: Illegal Trade, Animal Cruelty and Tourists at Risk at the Tiger Temple" was based on two years of investigation.
One might ask, "What has Buddhism got to do with this?" Precisely the point. Over time, with VIP treatment, and Big Money, the monks have forgotten they are still wearing the robes. It's not surprising that this happens in Thailand. There are thousands of bogus monks roaming the streets of Thailand. A sheer disgrace to the pristine teachings of the Buddha. That was why the Buddha always reminded his monks to stay clear of worldly affairs.
3 comments:
Discovery Channel was the one....releasing a documentary....showing this unusual place. It all started when this monk found a wounded tiger roamed into his monastery...due to forest fire and logging ..keep chasing them away from no where to go.
He nursed the tiger back to health...and strangely few more ..just came into his monastery...and few gave birth...thus the monastery do have a herd of tigers.
He has a team of monks...taking the tigers for walks....and all tigers are playful..like pets...to all monks..and I heard..he always try to release them back into the wild.
Once....he complained..it is very expensive to maintain them. Donations came....after the Discovery Channel story...and mostly are sponsored...to keep the tigers alive..but are those sponsorship constant?
Now you said...he was exposed...selling off tigers?
I don't think so....as if this is true..the whole of Thailand will have headline news.
Yes...bogus monks are found in abundance in Thailand...and I am so glad..one by one are being exposed. Thailand is the so call seat of Buddhism in South East Asia..and few monks have made Buddhism...shameful.
Yes...step into a Buddhist temple....boxes placed at so many corners ...asking for donations...but no one is forced to give.
I once wrote...it is very expensive to be a Buddhist.So it is.
Your comment..that is a bottle of urine..are you sure?
As much as male possession of a tiger...is by peeing onto a female and on places..to mark and claim ..she is his...and pee on tree trunks...to mark ...his territory..or a route to go back...as they can smell their own urine. That monk maybe squeezing some sort of medical liquid into a bucket full of water...for health reasons.
Monsterball,
If you click the link to the Star, you would see another photo with a helper collecting the urine.
That's tiger urine...to another tiger.
It's natural.
You implied ...it is the monk's urine.
Next time...be clear...as this is dealing with a famous monk in Thailand.
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