Why does one become a Monk.

[anonymouse]

In my wife's village is a temple with four monks, a middle-aged fat bloke who I know nothing about but seems very pleasant.

There is a young novice who is doing his stint for the family for a year to make merit aged about 13.

The other two have come from backgrounds where there parents have been drunkards and have neglected there welfare and schooling. They both now have a chance of better education and a better standard of life.

The elder of the two who is 19 has a brother who is a local criminal and drug addict - maybe this is how he would have turned out if he hadn't entered the monkhood.

I think in the rural communites it serves a good purpose but like any organised religon is open to abuse.

[itsmedave]

My Thai girlfriend also does not trust monks. The subject came up recently and she told me that many con men put on the monk robes so they can make better money begging, then throw off the robes and spend their money in unclean ways.

[pattaya127]

many con men put on the monk robes so they can make better money begging

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you need to tell us which scam you allude to. Monks on begging alms do not take money, and usually, people bring their donations to the temple, I hardly imagine they would do it to any monk asking. So what kind of situation would that be?

[markle]

There's a couple scams like this, one is where fake monks accept donations for repairs to the temple etc usually not in the village where the temple is.

The other one is where food vendors sell food (rice, curry etc) to people who give it to bogus monks who then give it back to the vendors to sell again, taking a cut themselves.