Bad Monk

Question:

Namo Emituofo.

Ven. Master,

I am a Buddhist disciple living in Da Nang [Vietnam].
​
I have always believed in the power of reciting “Emituofo” and especially in lofty and revered sanghans. Please help me discern whether what I am about to ask you could arise from my stupidity or from my loss of faith in Buddhism.

Ven. Master, I have a girlfriend and we love each other very much. One day, she told me that two years ago, she slept with a monk by the name of T who resides at **** Temple (forgive me for not revealing the temple name). I was very shocked and asked her for more details but she would not give, saying repeatedly that Ven. T took the initiative by asking for her phone number and courted her. When he went her out, he wore civilian clothes and ate meat. Afterwards, the both of them had sex. He then gave her 300.000 Vietnamese piasters. He even confided to her that he would eat meat every two months.

Ven. Master, I really lost faith in people and Buddhism. If Buddhism is so wonderful, is it possible that it would tolerate such deplorable behavior from its own sanghans? Can such odious people accomplish the Buddha Way?

Namo Emituofo, please help me understand.
​
NN

Answer:

I can understand how horribly betrayed you would feel.

Of course, monk T’s behavior is not condoned by the sangha in any way. The fact is that his remaining a monk and continued lewd behavior is very detrimental to his temple and Buddhism at large. That is how the demons are destroying Vietnamese Buddhism in your area: they do it from within, by enlisting the aid of such fake monks.

Once you have recovered from your pains and disappointments at your girlfriend, you should reconsider: is it fair to blame Buddhism for the bad behaviors of a few bad apples? These evil individuals will definitely fall to the Avici Hells where they will suffer for countless kalpas: that is what is waiting for them.

As to your losing faith in Buddhism, let me ask you this: Suppose you lost a finger, does that mean that you cut off your hand because it is no longer perfect? If that temple still harbors that monk, then go to another temple!

I hope that you will quickly recover from your great disappointments for something that happened long ago. Then you should learn to behave like a superior man by forgiving your girlfriend for her past mistakes or if you cannot then get another one. Also, learn to forgive yourself for living in the past and your propensity to blame others for your pains. Such is the behavior of the better Buddhist disciples.