There was an intriguing article in the Straits Times last Friday
on foreign Buddhist monks in Singapore. Apparently, these foreign
monks were willing to charge less to perform funeral chants at
wakes. The competition was so stiff that a local Singaporean monk
had turned to his MP (Member of Parliament) for help (you can’t
fault him for trying).
According to the article, the monk saw his income dropped by as
much as 70% in the last 2 years because of foreign competition.
Informed Buddhists would find the claims by the monk bemusing
because we know that monks and nuns are not supposed to charge for
any of their services (funeral chants or otherwise). He would
certainly be shocked to learn that genuine monks and nuns in
Singapore can easily give these foreign monks a run for their money
because they charging nothing for their services! [1]
But I like to highlight another more serious issue in this post.
While accurate information on Buddhism are readily available on the
Internet, many Singaporeans still associate the religion with
geomancy, amulets[2], fortune telling and… monks charging for
chanting at funerals, none of which has anything to do with
Buddhism!
It is important that we uphold the image of Buddhism. Imagine
for a moment that Apple were to allow other companies to use their
brand. We will soon see iShaver, iWashing Machine, iBlender, iSofa
appearing in the market, all carrying Apple’s logo! People will be
totally confused as to which are real Apple products. Many of these
non-Apple products will surely be of poor quality and design,
further damaging Apple’s brand.
Yet this is what we are seeing in Buddhism in Singapore. For a
very long time, we have allowed people wearing monks’
robe to read fortunes, perform geomancy readings and to sell
amulets. We, the real practitioners of the Buddha’s teachings have
lost control of the Buddhist “brand” to these pseudo-Buddhists
believes. And many of them are giving Buddhism a bad name. [3]
What can we, as informed Buddhists, do about it? I suggest 3
solutions:
Firstly, we need to speak up. The Internet and social media has
greatly empowered the ordinary folks. We can inform others on
social media and online forums, where discussion has cropped up, as
to what is and isn’t Buddhism.
Secondly, Buddhist leaders should speak up against practices
that go against Buddhist principles. While ordinary Buddhists can
inform at the grassroots level, only the leaders can presence an
official stand on these issues. Sadly I’ve not seen any official
statement coming out the make a stand on this issue.
Lastly, we need to reach out to these people who are giving
Buddhism a bad name. Some are just opportunists, in for a quick
buck. Others have genuine bread and butter concerns which we as
Buddhists should help to address.
Incidents like these can be great opportunities for Buddhism to
grow if we address them appropriately. Lets hope we get it right
sooner than later.
Notes:
[1] We need to understand the “Business model” of deaths. Love
ones of the departed usually contact the funeral parlor to
help arrange the funeral. These funeral parlor are
businessmen who make a living from these services they
provide. Usually it is these funeral parlor who contact
“money charging monks” to chant at funerals.
[2] I recall about 2 years ago, the Straits Times ran a half
page article on “Thai Buddhism” and amulet business in Singapore.
Again, while amulets are very popular among Thai
Buddhists, they have nothing to do with Buddhism. In the thousands
of suttas recorded in the Buddhist cannon, the making and use of
amulets were never recorded.
[3] A friend once told me of her angry encounter with one
of these “monks”. At the funeral of her relative, the
“monk” told her that if she wants him to chant more
“powerful” sutras, she would have to pay more and hinted that she
should not mind paying more (a more “powerful chant could cost a
thousand dollar more) if she loved her relative. This “monk” is
clearly a businessman in a monk’s robe.
- web source: http://ahandfulofleaves.net/dhamma/?p=1873