A Thai temple is under the scanner after 73 corpses were recovered in a raid by the police along with a pond that houses 600 crocodiles in the temple complex.
Places of religion are said to be about giving peace and faith to the people, where one can go to get away from the cruelties and troubles of the world. So it is certainly always a matter of concern when such places themselves are exposed to be doing something questionable.
But what exactly was found at the temple and what does it mean?
What Was Found At The Thai Temple?
According to a South China Morning Post, on 22nd November the Thai police conducted a raid at the Thiphaksong Pa Sangnayatham temple in Pho Thale and found 41 bodies.
The temple spans across an impressive 16,000 square meters having facilities like an open-air meditation center, and four dining halls for visitors and monks and is located in the southwestern part of Phichit province, central Thailand.
It is reportedly famous for not just its setting, a quiet and serene forest, but also for its spiritual practices, with even the land donated by followers. According to reports, the police found 4-5 coffins in almost every bamboo meditation pavilion, along with a huge den of almost 600 crocodiles.
This crocodile pool is said to be some kind of a wishing well and visitors are protected by high fences covering the area.
Read More: All Monks At A Thailand Temple Fail A Drug Test, Alleged To Be Peddling
Before this around 12 bodies were discovered at the monastic centre in Kamphaeng Phet’s Khanu Woralaksaburi district as per a The Nation report.
On 26th November the Pol Lt-Colonel Inchatchai Ruangchaisivavet, deputy commander of Pho Thale Police Station conducted another raid at the Wat Pa Sriwilai in Bang Mun Nak district and found another 32 cadavers.
The raids were apparently triggered after a Facebook page claimed that the monastic centre was using “donated bodies to teach dharma and enhance their psychic powers by having them ‘scan’ the corpses” according to The Nation.
When the monks were inquired, they claimed that the corpses discovered were individuals who voluntarily donated their bodies to the temple upon their deaths. They provided death certificates and donation agreements to the police and said that most of the bodies were of disciples or family members of disciples of the temple.
The common link among all of these temples was the abbot, Phra Ajahn Sai Fon Pandito, a reportedly controversial name that teaches “clairvoyance” and “super hearing” in the temples.
The abbot claimed innocence against allegations of illegal activities staying that the cadavers were part of a “death awareness” training in meditation and they helped monks to face death and overcome any fears related to it in turn making their spiritual practice stronger.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Deccan Herald, South China Morning Post, Bangkok Post
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This post is tagged under: Thai Temple, Thai Temple raid, Thai Temple bodies, thai temple news, Thiphaksong Pa Sangnayatham temple, thailand, world news, trending, thai temple controversy, Buddhist monks, Phra Ajahn Sai Fon Pandito, thai police, Phichit temple
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