Thai police have arrested a woman who allegedly had sexual relations with monks and then used photos and videos of the acts to extort money from them.
- Buddhist monks have vowed to give up sex while in robes (while ordained) and such a transgression is called a "defeat" offense or parajika, for which there is no remedy. They are disgraced and immediately excommunicated from the Monastic Sangha and can never become monks again in this lifetime. To continue pretending to be a monk is a drastic error -- incredibly bad karma, stealing from donors and shortening the life of the Order on Earth. Having been defeating may be embarrassing or nothing to be proud of, but so long as one immediately disrobes and confesses the offense, one simply returns to lay life. It is because one lingers on in robes, fails to confess, and receives the benefits of monkhood that makes it grave and heavy karma causing one trouble for a long, long time.
The woman, who police are calling "Ms. Golf," had sex with at least nine monks, police said at a press conference on Tuesday. They believe she received around 385 million baht ($11.9m or £8.8m) over the past three years.
Investigators who searched her house found more than 80,000 photos and videos used to blackmail the monks, the police spokesman said.
This scandal is the latest to rock Thailand's much revered Buddhist institution, which in recent years has been plagued with allegations of monks engaging in sex offences and drug trafficking. More:
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