Started my walking agian up to an hour a day, Been strange keep waking up at 0400. Have some coffee do my walk and go back to bed after really screws up my normal schedule.

In the process I ended up seeing this monk walking around the village. people sit and waited on him to give him food. Supposed to only have enough to survive on and learn the relegion he would say some sort of chant for them. I guess it's a prayer I don't know.

Anyway I said good morning to him Thai one morning and in very good english, he said do yuo have food for me. I said no and he turned around and walked away. Well this stuff is a big deal to Poi, so I thought maybe I should carry a little something for him.

I told her about it and she said would get a little snack for him and I could give him that. Of course that did never happened. So I cooked my on plan dump 20 baht on him and he can buy is own food. So the liitle orange robe spots me walking towards him, turn about and goes down a side street. Pissed me off, little twirp was ruining plan we ain't going be letting that happen are we.

So he wants to do a chant for me I told him I wasn't Budhist to say one for Poi at the Wat. I'm thinking mission accomplised, as I'm walking away, he say to me you buy me gift. I must have had a puzzled look on my face. Cause then he spells it GIFT. I heard him the first time just consfused. Struck me as kind of odd this wa the second time I had ever spoken to him. Not at all what I have seen as to Budhism here.

So I spoke to Poi an it turns out he had done tha to everyone in the village and very few go outside at 0600 to fill his rice bowl anymore. So I'm joing the majority in the village and he can fill his rice bowl and his gifts fufilled somewhere else.

What gift was he wanting I wonder? pack of fags? A lighter, or maybe a new battery for his camera!
I see a Monk standing in broad daylight smoking fag for all to see. Is that right?
In actual fact, HE was doing you an honour ....allowing you to donate to him!
For Thai chaps, not a bad little number! Beats working for peanuts a month!

I've never seen a monk in the village. I though out intrepid security guard kept the riff-raff out.

Or did you meet him on the main road?

I was sitting in Fuzzy Ken's one afternoon last year when a monk came in. He didn't say anything but I could tell he wanted money. Was holding out a cup or bowl, can't exactly remember which. I thought it was odd for him to come into the bar like that but I think I gave him a few Baht and away he went. Now that I think about it he didn't approach any of the other customer. Probably thought I was an easy mark. So when I told my TGF about this she asked me if he was with other monks. I said no and she said he may have been scamming or impersonating a monk. I guess anything is possible but impersonating a monk would seem to be huge transgression in this country. Anyone heard of this before?

I've seen in Bangkok a couple of 'foreign' monks begging down Soi Cowboy. They work different robes to the Thai beggars, but they still received the same amount from me that I give to all beggars.

tutone wrote:I was sitting in Fuzzy Ken's one afternoon last year when a monk came in. He didn't say anything but I could tell he wanted money. Was holding out a cup or bowl, can't exactly remember which. I thought it was odd for him to come into the bar like that but I think I gave him a few Baht and away he went. Now that I think about it he didn't approach any of the other customer. Probably thought I was an easy mark. So when I told my TGF about this she asked me if he was with other monks. I said no and she said he may have been scamming or impersonating a monk. I guess anything is possible but impersonating a monk would seem to be huge transgression in this country. Anyone heard of this before?

Yes its fairly common.A few months ago I went to a large temple fair and was invited over to where four saffron clad guys were sitting. They were completely unaware that I have a passable understanding of the Thai language. It soon became apparent they were not genuine monks from their conversation so I left. Later when talking to a genuine monk about it, he remarked they are from another town and often travel to special days at other temples seeking alms, mainly money , for personal use. The tip he gave me. A genuine monk will never solicit. He will accept offerings of any kind, including ciggies and money, but not alcohol. So if they appear to be begging anything, you can be sure they are not genuine.Some on here may remember, recently in Pattaya a group dressed in the robes were accepting flower garlands from devotees, then selling them back to the flower shop at a reduced price.Every profession has its crooks or imposter's.

Git, my understanding is that monks walk along the road early in the morning for people to give "alms" - food to them. They carry a bowl for the purpose.

It would not be appropriate to offer/give them money, and could cause offence if you tried to do so. If you want to give money, you would do so at the temple.

Maybe he was upset, because he was expecting you to give him food.

Just a further point on monk etiquette. You can give them money, but it is normally put in an envelope before handing it to them, never in the bowl. You should sawadee a monk, high version, but never expect the monk to return the greeting although he may nod or smile at you.If he offers to "say a prayer" for you, it would be polite to slip off your shoes, squat or at least lower your head and accept his blessings, regardless of your own beliefs. In our terms it is similar to me offering you my hand to shake and you declining it, to refuse his blessing.
On the other hand to meet a monk that speaks English is rare, but to be able to spell out "Gift' is even rarer. So he may have been a westernised version of the order. I doubt he would have been an imposter if he was doing a regular round. The natives would have soon sniffed him out.

Yes it was in the village has been for along time now. I wasn't sure about how to handle the money aSpect so I asked the local they said it was OK so I proceeded. Asked him to chant for the wife not me since I wa not budhist, mihgt as well direct ti wher it is needed

When I showed him the money he pointed to put it in his bowl. What can I say I don't hang with these a lot

Didn't mind the experience but asking for gifts was not how I understood monks work.

I've seen lots of the money trees since I have been here and I thought that was for the Wat. But I have never seen a monk carrying one.

Poi says most of the community has been turned off by his behaivor in that area, he has done the same thing to the Thai's in the area.

Not a problem for me just adjust the walking schedule a bit and he won't be around.

My gutt reaction was the dude was hustling and I really didn't care for that. But that is easy enough to handle I will do what the other villagers did I won't participate, good enough the Thai's good enough for me.

That security guard out front has no authority to stop anyone, we never became a association representing he entire project. So nothing he could do even if he was awake.

Monks are not allowed to ASK for anything or buy or take anything, they can only accept a gift, and they are not allowed to have any possession apart from their begging-bowl, I think they are not even allowed to touch money. Offcourse that's the theorie and in the real world each wat has several 'civilians' who take care of the cash, drive the cars, do the shopping, etc, etc. Often they walk behind the monks on their rounds, carrying the bags, so the monks don't need to touch the money. Same when they go shopping, each monk has a civilian follower who pays the money and carries the bag. The monks may have only their bowls, but the wat itself has more then enough riches, although that part is handled by the 'civilians'.

A monk will never make a wai to you, they don't even make a wai to the King, their status is way above any other person. When they make their morning rounds (on bare feat) you have to be careful for many of them consider themselves so high that they don't pay the least attention to any other traffic on the road. Fortunately you can see them clearly in their robes for I have had to go full on the brakes already a few times when they suddenly cross the road without looking left or right. I expect hitting a monk with your car brings very, very, much bad luck .

Treeg wrote:I expect hitting a monk with your car brings very, very, much bad luck .

Must be worth 100 points though.

Marmite The Dog wrote:

Treeg wrote:I expect hitting a monk with your car brings very, very, much bad luck .

Must be worth 100 points though.

It certainly would for him.

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting out the front of my wifes small shop in Ban Mu Mon (about 5 kliks north east of the ring road) when an old pick up pulled in with a rather fatigued looking monk in the passenger seat, I give the monk an ice cold coke and off they went to continue their journey. About 1 hour later the old pick up returned and give me a 20 baht note with Thai writing on it, I showed this to my Wife who immediately stuck it on the wall for the customers to see, apparently some kind of blessing from the Wat.

Its nice to be nice and not all the monks are on the scrounge.

Cheers
Bill

Let me make this clear every other contact I have had with a monk has been positive. This was unusual which brought it to mind.