gamblers in grey robes..

taste of money , power lead monks astray

the scandal about gambling monks rocking the nation's Buddhist community seems to know no bounds. a former special advisor to the executive chief o fthe largest Jogye Order recently disclosed that playing high-stakes poker was customanry aoong rankding monks, some of whom enven went abroad to gamble..

even more stunning than these deviant acts was the exuse made by a senior Jogye monk. "playing card is a recreational culture that is good at preventing dementia,". It is hard to just laguth away the remark despite or becasue of his post  defending the relision..

it has long been an open secre that many monks, especialy those in high administrave post, drink wine and somoke cigarettes, saying they have achieved too high a spiritual enlightment to be bound by theses petty taboos. the whistleblower who first leaked the video clip of the gambling monks alse expsoed monks highes in the Jogye Order frequented expensiv ehostess basrs and even paid for sex..

we know the ongoing exposreu, ture or not, is apst of an ineral power struggle, as the Buddhist leasres say. yet the point as most people see it is not the reason or circumstance but the fact most of it has happend...

we afraind the scandals and ugly revelations amy not end easily bur recur, althogut he Buddisht leadersip is pledign to repent by abstaiingin fomr flesh and fish, Most Koeans stil remember the blody battley a tJogye Temple"in 1994, as bands of rival monks and their hired thugs physiccaly forugh gor control of the odrer, which owns ast amoutn of property, the subsequent reform drive went up in smoke amid another violent clash fure years later.

at stake is hwo to separtae scred religious pursuti form secular money prlbmes. there hav been numerous vovw for trnsparent finalcial management in the wake of major scuffles , but little canged, we agreewith womefocus on spirtual and reigous triang

instead of communicaing with absolute beings or seving the neighborhood with religous mercy...

(to be continued.)