What is the big fuss about defrocking the Venerable Ming Yi?

• Aik TC

  2 Dec 10, 15:57

   

  What is the big fuss about defrocking the Venerable Ming Yi?

   

  So the Singapore Buddhist Federation (SBF) have at last found a good reason why the Ven. Ming Yi should voluntarily step forward and submit himself to a pro-tem disciplinary committee, and if found wanting, to be demoted or defrocked.

  It was also reported in today’s front page Straits Times that it was the first time that the Buddhist community here will have such panel formed to look into the case. What I am wondering is, how many Buddhists in Singapore does the SBF think they are representing? What make them think they are the leaders in the Buddhists community here anyway? And you have the head of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge commenting that he have never heard of a monk being honor with a $1000-a table dinner in a top hotel. Well, he has now. It was also reported that the event cost $200k to organize. It goes to show the depth of support Ven. Ming Yi still has.

  The SBF should come forward and provide further details as to the activities that the Ven. Ming Yi has carried out that is unsettling them, otherwise it is doing nothing more than just creating more misunderstanding then settling problems.

  Do not forget that this monk have committed offences against our secular laws and have being punished as such. For whatever good he has previously done for the society in general, his reputation is already down the drain. He is still popular and is where he is now, because of the support of some lay Buddhists who still believe and trust him. Let us forgive and move on, he will eventually fade away if there is no support coming from the lay Buddhists.

  As for the SBF, they should concentrate on what they do best, by supporting the government in keeping religious harmony within our society. And by the way, consult the followers of Tibetan Buddhism here first before agreeing to inviting, such monk as the Panchen Lama from China to Singapore.

   

• dragg

  2 Dec 10, 16:09

  you have to ask yourself if you consider him a religious figure (monk in this case) or someone who can do good for the poor but not not religious.

  it is true he paid for his crimes. but was he remorseful about what he did? 

  its two different thing.  if he is a monk he represents the buddhist.  going to jail alone does not atone his crime. 

  its very difficult to explain.  i wonder if you get my point.

   

• SevenEleven

  2 Dec 10, 16:23

  There is a rules for monks and nuns (Vinaya) and all monks should abide by that rules

• Aik TC

  2 Dec 10, 16:46

   

  Whether he is remorseful or not, only he will know. As a religious figure, part of his duty is also to do good for the less fortunate. If he volunteer himself to be discipline, the conclusion would be obvious. As there is no central body that can discipline him, it is up to lay Buddhists within the community to decide on his future. We can see that he still have plenty of support there. So long as there is enough support for him, we can expect the whole situation to remain as before. To prevent further split within the Buddhist community, the SBF should just let the whole matter rest.

• Rock^Star

  2 Dec 10, 16:51

  $200,000 for a gala dinner when there are many poor out there suffering sounds very contradictory right? Buddha himself wouldnt spend that kind of money.

  Really gives the religion a bad name.

• dragg

  2 Dec 10, 16:52

  Originally posted by Aik TC:

   

  Whether he is remorseful or not, only he will know. As a religious figure, part of his duty is also to do good for the less fortunate. If he volunteer himself to be discipline, the conclusion would be obvious. As there is no central body that can discipline him, it is up to lay Buddhists within the community to decide on his future. We can see that he still have plenty of support there. So long as there is enough support for him, we can expect the whole situation to remain as before. To prevent further split within the Buddhist community, the SBF should just let the whole matter rest.

  plenty of support for what?  from where?

  are they supporting him because he is good religious figure or philantropist?  its 2 different thing.  if he is not a monk  the general public can forgive and honour him for all the good he did.

  but as a religious figure it takes more than that.  buddhist see him not just for his philantrophy.

• Aik TC

  2 Dec 10, 17:05

  Originally posted by dragg:

  Well, only the devotees of the Foo Hai Monastery where he is abbot would be able to provide the relevant answers as to why and on what ground they are supporting him on as a religious figure.

• PedoBear

  2 Dec 10, 17:27

  we all want to see a sexy monk

  so defrock him, i say

• Amitayus48

  2 Dec 10, 17:42

  $200k voluntarily from the Buddhists community, Wow!! Is very generous, and in fact many businesses and parties have benefited from these event as well. Together they brought joys to many others. Moreover, it is a vegetarian dishes where no animals has suffered. It is nothing not proper for Venerable Ming Yi to accept the kindness of buddhists for the gala dinner. He has also contributed alot on charity for the Singapore community, and stimulated the charitable mind of many kind hearted people living in Singapore and across the world.

• TrueReppuzan

  2 Dec 10, 19:39

  Ming Yi under fire again for $200,000 gala dinner

  

  Barely three months after his release from prison, Reverend Ming Yi is embroiled in a fresh controversy, this time regarding a ceremonial dinner reported to have cost $200,000.

  Organised by the Foo Hai Chan Monastery in Geylang, the $1,000-a-table dinner at the Pan Pacific Hotel was held on Nov 21 to mark Venerable Ming Yi’s 20 years of service as abbot of the temple.

  The gala dinner has sparked off an emotional debate among Buddhists, reported The Straits Times.

  Devotees of the said monastery called the celebration a sheng zuo dian li, or “rise to the power ceremony”; they said they wanted to celebrate Ven Ming Yi’s return to the temple.

  But detractors asked if it was appropriate for the monk to turn the spotlight on himself — and so soon after his release from prison in September.

  In addition, monastery records show that the 48-year-old monk’s 20th year of service comes about only in 2012.

  Mr Lim Bock Guan, head of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, told the same paper he had never heard of a monk being honoured for his service with a $1,000-a-table dinner in a top hotel.

  The dinner was attended by monks from Malaysia and Hong Kong, but senior Buddhists in Singapore were noticeably absent although they had been invited.

  The Buddhist Federation, the top Buddhist authority in Singapore, now wants Ming Yi to step forward and be judged by his fellow monks for crimes that landed him in jail earlier this year. Last October, the former head of Ren Ci was convicted of charges that included falsifying accounts and misappropriating funds.

  For this to happen, though, Ming Yi has to step up voluntarily.

  If he does, a disciplinary committee will be set up. It will be the first time that the Buddhist community here will have a panel of monks in a position to demote or defrock one of their own.

  When asked for thoughts of the federation’s move, the chief disciple of Ven Wu Feng, the monk who had presided over Ming Yi’s ordination in 1984, said it was unlikely that Ming Yi would turn himself in, although “it is what he should do.”

  “He’s climbed too far up, and now he has a long way to fall,” said the nun who declined to be named.

  From : http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/12/02/ming-yi-under-fire-again-for-200000-gala-dinner/

• Demon Bane

  2 Dec 10, 19:46

  With great powers comes great responsibilities....Just hope he will learn from his mistakes.....Personally, I forgive him. Everybody make mistakes. The important thing is to remember the Vows as buddhists.....Nirvana is the aim....world peace is the aim....enlightenment is the aim....live by example is the aim.....

• Asromanista2001

  2 Dec 10, 19:52

  you mean this freaking fucking botak still an abbot ???!!!

  he never kana kicked out meh ???

   

  he can be a pastor mah............suits him to a tee...............

• TrueReppuzan

  2 Dec 10, 19:56

  fine, if i have heard him making 200k ceremonial dinner, i would have just tell him "hey friend, u just out of from jail, tone down a bit lah.. u also still hv 2 yrs more to hit 20yrs of service mah..."  Yeah.. it is a bit crazy ...

  but i don't believe nobody knows the Monastry is organising such a grand ceremonial dinner for Ming Yi... if other buddhist people are soo unhappy, why not stop him in the first place !!!!!

  You let Ming Yi do the act and you now want to set up disciplinary committee against him.  I think it is sore-eye.  This is very compassionate and forgiving act...lololol...

  This is precisely the iceberg of all problematic religions.   This is no difference to churchtainity.. you guys are practically mentally S.I.C.K.

   

• stuffedbears

  2 Dec 10, 22:38

  ehh.

  can i ask what's the significance of defrocking him?

• Dawnfirstlight

  2 Dec 10, 22:46

  Originally posted by Aik TC:

  
  I know 2 of them who are long time devotees from Foo Hai Monastery. One is my neighbour and another is my close friend. They are fiercely defensive. Reasons for being so supportive are as follows :

  1) They witnessed what Ven. Ming Yi had gone through when he built Foo Hai Monastery from a run down temple. According to them, today's Foo Hai does not come easy. Ven. Ming Yi had gone through a lot of hardship (in terms of raising funds and hard work monitoring when rebuilding).

  2) They witnessed what Ven. Ming Yi had gone through when Ren Ci was a poor hospital. Again, the hard work Ven. Ming Yi put in to raise funds (he contributed from his own pockets) and building it to today's Ren Ci.

  3) They had seen the other side of Ming Yi which we have not seen. There was a couple approached Ven. Ming Yi many years ago to adopt their son as they could not afford to raise their child. Ven. Ming Yi brings the child up personally and did not send the child to orphange.The child is still in the temple. He is a teenager now.

   

• Dawnfirstlight

  2 Dec 10, 22:52

  Originally posted by TrueReppuzan:

  fine, if i have heard him making 200k ceremonial dinner, i would have just tell him "hey friend, u just out of from jail, tone down a bit lah.. u also still hv 2 yrs more to hit 20yrs of service mah..."  Yeah.. it is a bit crazy ...

  but i don't believe nobody knows the Monastry is organising such a grand ceremonial dinner for Ming Yi... if other buddhist people are soo unhappy, why not stop him in the first place !!!!!

  You let Ming Yi do the act and you now want to set up disciplinary committee against him.  I think it is sore-eye.  This is very compassionate and forgiving act...lololol...

  This is precisely the iceberg of all problematic religions.   This is no difference to churchtainity.. you guys are practically mentally S.I.C.K.

   

  I understand from my friend that the ceremony and dinner were suggested by the overseas Buddhists. My friend guessed that it is to cheer Ven. Ming Yi up after the unhappy incident. It was not Ven. Ming Yi's idea. Some said acctually nobody intend to take disciplinary action against him till public outcry about the dinner. So,they are not sore-eye or did it on purpose but they have to answer to the public.

• Rock^Star

  2 Dec 10, 22:54

  ya but still.....200k leh. Wtf.

• sir_peanuts

  2 Dec 10, 23:12

  monk who bought a horse. that's funny enough.

• Amitayus48

  3 Dec 10, 01:02

  星云大师与作家谈禅：�好事�说好��存好心

    ä½ å�ªè¦�å�šåˆ°“å�šå¥½äº‹ã€�说好è¯�ã€� 存好心”，你就会实现人生的辉煌？为什么？因为你这样å�šç¬¦å�ˆå¤©é�“ï¼�ï¼�

                              ----  诸葛长é�’
  

  “大师，您有没有俗世的烦æ�¼ï¼Ÿ” “我当然也会有俗世的烦æ�¼ï¼Œä½†æ˜¯æˆ‘会把它放下”，大师强调，人生苦ä¹�并存，å�ƒå–�çš„å¿«ä¹�ä¸� 长久，但是有信仰，就ä¸�会去计较这些苦ä¹�，并勉励大众，回到红尘，就应该把在寺院得到的å®�é�™ã€�平安ã€�欢喜带回去，至于个人争夺ã€�烦æ�¼ï¼Œæ›´åº”学习把它“放 下”。大师最大的æˆ�就就是把严肃的佛教带入人间，让我们能借ç�€ç®€å�•çš„“å�šå¥½ 事ã€�说好è¯�ã€�存好心”æ�¥ä¿®è¡Œã€‚

   

• dragg

  3 Dec 10, 08:58

  Originally posted by Aik TC:

  
  all i can say is they did the right thing but at the wrong time.

   

• Amitayus48

  3 Dec 10, 09:59

  Buddhism is compassion and benevolence in emptiness, it's democracy and liberty, neither it controls nor possesses. Harmony is important to the well beings and teachings of the Buddhism community. Hope that Buddhism teachings flourishes as long as possible to benefit afflicted living beings in samsara both physically and mentally to regain supreme consciousness of loving one another inherently and unconditionally.

  放下屠刀，立地�佛 :D
  The Buddha said to Ananda and Vaidehi, "Those who attain birth on the middle level of the lowest grade are the sentient bengs who violate the five precepts, the eith precepts or the complete precepts of a monk or a nun. A foolish person such as these steals from the Sangha or takes the personal belongings of monks, or preaches the Dharma with impure moties but feels no remorse. Thus he defiles himself by evil karma, and because of this he will fall into hell. "When he is about to die and the flames of hell suddenly close in on him, he may meet a good teacher, who compassionately explains to him the ten supernal powers of Amitayus, fully describing the majestic power of the light of that Buddha, his virtues in the observance of the precepts, meditation, wisdom, emancipation and knowledge of emancipation. When he has heard this, the eveil karma which he has committed during eighty kotis of kalpas of Samsara are extinguished; thus the fierce flames of hell turn into cool and refreshing breezes, wafting beavenly flowers. On each flower is a transformed Buddha accompanied by bodhisattvas welcoming him.

  Amitabha

• Demon Bane

  3 Dec 10, 10:10

  So what will happen now? Will he go to jail again???? If he dun stand up the the charges, he won't be liable right? Or they (the council) can still demote his titles?

• Aik TC

  3 Dec 10, 14:19

   

  Frankly, I do not quite understand why the SBF would want to publicize the whole saga by going to the local press in the first place, when they should know that there is nothing they can do if Ven. Ming Yi refused to submit himself for a hearing with a disciplinary committee. What they do keep mentioning is the fact that many Buddhist leaders (who are they by the way?) thinks that the gala event is inappropriate.

  The ironic is that, the whole event was organized by his supporters and the devotees of the Foo Hai Chan Monastery, but he is the one who is getting all the blame and bad publicity. On hindsight, he could have tried to ask the organizer to scale down the whole thing or stop it totally. But it is something I believe, his supporters or even he himself, did not expect the SBF to blow the whole thing out of proportion.  

  In today’s ST news, it was reported that the Chairman of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge commenting that the Ven. Ming Yi should have said ‘Sorry’ to the Buddhist community instead of thanking his devotee for their support. Good intention, Mr. Lee, but it sounds rather patronizing.

  If Ven. Ming Yi refused to submit to any disciplinary action, I hope the SBF can extradite itself from a bad situation that they have created in the first place.  

   

• Rock^Star

  3 Dec 10, 15:03

  just one word from the monk and the gala would have been more frugal.

• Dawnfirstlight

  3 Dec 10, 15:23

  Originally posted by Aik TC:

   

  Frankly, I do not quite understand why the SBF would want to publicize the whole saga by going to the local press in the first place, when they should know that there is nothing they can do if Ven. Ming Yi refused to submit himself for a hearing with a disciplinary committee. What they do keep mentioning is the fact that many Buddhist leaders (who are they by the way?) thinks that the gala event is inappropriate.

  The ironic is that, the whole event was organized by his supporters and the devotees of the Foo Hai Chan Monastery, but he is the one who is getting all the blame and bad publicity. On hindsight, he could have tried to ask the organizer to scale down the whole thing or stop it totally. But it is something I believe, his supporters or even he himself, did not expect the SBF to blow the whole thing out of proportion.  

  In today’s ST news, it was reported that the Chairman of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge commenting that the Ven. Ming Yi should have said ‘Sorry’ to the Buddhist community instead of thanking his devotee for their support. Good intention, Mr. Lee, but it sounds rather patronizing.

  If Ven. Ming Yi refused to submit to any disciplinary action, I hope the SBF can extradite itself from a bad situation that they have created in the first place.  

   

  I believe SBF is under pressure. If you know Ven. Kwang Phing (SBF's secretary-general), you will know that he is a very low profile person. He is not that type of person who will make a mountain out of a molehill. If Ven. Kwang Phing wants to take action, he would have done it long ago. As a lay Buddhist, just leave the sangha (monks)issues to the sangha community. Hope that everything will turn out well.