Brawl between Buddhist Monks at a Funeral over a Plastic Chair in Northeast Thailand

(CTN News) – On Friday, fighting broke out between two saffron-robed Buddhist monks at a funeral in Surin province, northeast Thailand. The reported cause of the fight was a plastic chair.

Phra Toi Kan, the acting abbot of Wat Pho Sri Sawang Arom, addressed the media yesterday, detailing the events of Friday at the temple.

Traditional Buddhist funeral ceremonies in Thailand feature a ceremony known as bangsookool (pasukla in Pali), in which a deceased person’s loved ones give robes to Buddhist monks to earn merit on their behalf. Monks chant and pour water over a coffin as they get new robes, representing a transfer of merit.

Buddhist Monks Attacks Another Over Front Row Seat at Thai Funeral

Two angry priests interrupted the tranquil funeral rites shortly after the bangsookool service on Friday. Phra Toi Kan remarked…

I was one of the first people there. The reason of the issue depicted in the photos is unknown to me. Family members had to intervene to calm things down. The incident led to the monk who instigated the fight requesting to leave the temple where it occurred.

Phra Ongart claimed that he was asked to conduct a bangsookool ritual during a funeral by a relative. When the monks arrived, Phra Ongart claimed he had two rows of chairs ready.

As the three seats in the rear row were already occupied, a monk directed Phra Ongart to sit in the front row. An enraged monk sat down next to Phra Ongart and demanded, “How many years have you been ordained?” before physically assaulting him in front of the mourners. When he was denied a front-row seat, the monk became irate.

Detachment from Worldly Desires Shattered as Monks Brawl at Thai Funeral

Phra Ongart claimed he was physically overpowered by the other monk and had to sit on the floor. He claims the angry monk punched him many times until people at the burial broke up the brawl.

The enraged Buddhist grabbed a chair and tried to hit Phra Ongart with it, but mourners quickly took it away.

Buddhist monks are barred from engaging in physical violence, and the offender, in this case, has been expelled from the monastic order and allowed to rejoin society at the abbot’s request.

Buddhist monks wear saffron robes to signify their devotion to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. People in Thailand who dress as Buddhist monks are held up as role models for lay Buddhists.