By Karishma Patel
Christian pastor Rony Tan speaks negatively about Buddhism and Taoism in his Church
Singapore (CHAKRA) — Venerable Dhammika, a Buddhist monk, has expressed his concern about the effectiveness interfaith dialogue, to prevent another Rony Tan mess from taking place.
Venerable Dhammika was born in Australia and has been a Buddhist monk for 32 years. He is the spiritual advisor to the Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society in Singapore.
Lighthouse Evangelism Pastor, Rony Tan was questioned by the Internal Security Department (ISD) last Monday for making negative comments about Buddhism and Taoism during a church session. He was revealed after a video of his session was taped and uploaded onto YouTube.
He has since then apologized to the leaders of Buddhist and Taoist faiths. The government has not taken further action against him, out of fear that the Christian community will respond.
The Straits Times, stated in a report yesterday, that several religious leaders were for an interfaith dialogue so that such misunderstandings can be prevented.
Venerable Dhammika however, was unimpressed by the way interfaith dialogues are held in Singapore and stated his opinion, on his personal blog “Dhamma Musings”, and shared the following:
“I doubt that inter-religious dialogue, at least as it is conducted in Singapore, really brings about a change in how the different religions feel about each other. I have often attended inter-religious gatherings and I have noticed that everyone is friendly, accommodating and open-minded. The participants are already respectful of other faiths. The ones who could do with a bit of tolerance – the bigots, zealots, fundamentalists and the evangelicals, won’t come. Here in Singapore several major denominations have pointedly refused to join the Inter-religious Organization which they see as fratranizing with Satan.”
The Singapore government organized such interfaith dialogues to promote an interaction between religious leaders of various faiths.
The tolerant and respectful are usually the only participants of such dialogues, since attendance is not compulsory. Therefore, Venerable Dhammika has pointed out, “all too often just an exercise in the converted preaching to each other.”
Venerable Dhammika proposed that the government reward tolerant religious leaders so that the intolerant ones are marginalized and forced to participate and become more accepting of others:
“The government should consider something like the Public Service Award, the PBM or the BBM, but to be given for service to interfaith understanding. When such people are looked upon as commendable, socially responsible and worthy, the bigots gradually come to be seen as out-of-step, as a public nuisance, as un-respectable. You can marginalize the intolerant by rewarding and lauding the tolerant.”
The state media has been quick to sweep this whole saga under the carpet but religious criticisms still lurk beneath the “normalcy” in Singapore.
If Rony Tan, had not video-taped his own service and had not uploaded it onto YouTube, his criticisms of other religions would not have come to light.
With such ongoing issues, Singapore will be a place of religious and social tension in years ahead.
heng says
March 27, 2010 at 8:24 amComment by yao siew Lian — March 9, 2010 @ 8:03 PM | Reply
2.Ven. Phra Piya Thammo,
Rumah Pangsa
Blk A-7-9- Jln Padang Tembak,
11400 Pulau Pinang,
Malaysia
Dear Devotees,
Before I commence of my letter-writing toward. All of you, I would like to inform all of you that I am not satisfy with the lawyer, Dato YIP KUM FOOK due to his bad inspirit impressions because he sent an inspector to come to our Buddhist Temple to arrest me without any good reason, moreover, the lawyer, YIP KUM FOOK is not satisfy with Chief monk.
When the Chief monk had me to go to his Temple already and he went away and left me alone to take care until Chief monk come back to the Temple first and he also told me not to leave the Temple if any committees or the chairman want to chase me out, you don’t leave the Temple at all understand? Then I said, alright? To the chief monk! On the second Day, YIP KUM FOOK came to our Temple and talk to me. He tired to make some inquiry from me and he asked me, where I come from? I told him that I came from Penang.
Then, I told to the lawyer (YIP KUM FOOK) that the chief monk came to Penang and fetch me and invited me to accompany him to go to his temple in K.L. I am not aware that YIP KUM FOOK is not in a good terms with the chief monk, chief monk already in this way, YIP KUM FOOK try to create trouble with me unnecessary. That is why, the lawyer want to chase me out of the Temple. Then I asked the lawyer, why you want to chase me out of the temple? Moreover, the Temple is not belonging to you, UNDERSATAND? Then, I asked him, who are you? I don’t know you at all, you have no right to chase me or control me at all, UNDERSTAND? You are just like a layman only. Do you know the regulations that any the chairman or committee cannot control the monks and the Nuns at all, also UNDERSTAND?
I scolded him like that. Then the lawyer (YIP KUM FOOK) is not satisfy with me and he told me that he will called the police to come to the Temple and arrest me. I told him to go ahead and called the police to come and arrest me. I won’t run away, I said to him like that. I have done nothing wrong toward you, why you want to arrest me? He said, he doesn’t like me to stay here. I asked him, why? Again. After this he got very angry with me, then he phoned up to the police and the police came to the Temple and told me to leave the Temple.
I told to the inspector of the again, 1 am sorry, I won’t leave the Temple because the chief monk had instructed me not to leave the Temple without his consent, UNDERSTAND? Then the inspector told me to leave, again. I told him I cannot leave the Temple because the Chief Monk hasn’t come back yet. This time, the inspector got very angry with me and he took out his handcuff and try to threaten me, then I immediately show off my hands for him to lock me up but he scare, then again, the inspector told me leave the Temple again but I still don’t want to leave the Temple.
Then I phoned up to the chief monk again and I told him that the inspector insisted want to arrest me, you better come back to settle the case for me. After this incident, Chief Monk came back to the Temple and take me to go to another temple and stay their. That’s all about this incidents! Last of all, I would like to inform all of you, that no committees or the chairman can control all the monks and Nuns at all also UNDERSTAND? “They are higher than the King,” also! So how can the laymen, the committees and the chairman to control them: – EVEN THE KING ALSO RESPECTED THE MONKS AND NUNS. Why the chairman doesn’t respect the monks and nuns? They will carry the sins later on, UNDERSTAND?
Yours in Dhamma
Ven. Phra Piya Thammo
Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 04-48272710
00Rate This
Comment by andy fong — March 1, 2010 @ 7:28 PM | Reply
.-March 10th, 2010 at 8:54 am
andy fong said:
Comment by andy fong — March 1, 2010 @ 7:28 PM | Reply
2.
We always recieved news messages from Myanmar people, they are complainted about committees of temple and please see at below.
Thanks
Dear Sir and Madam,
We are Myanmar group in Malaysia; we lived in Malaysia over decade and always went to one of temple in Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur and we were very sad and regreting with the committees of temple because they are using our monks in wrong conception of Buddhist teaching or Buddhist rules. We came to temple to help our monks and respected of our religion.
That temple is president of name:Yip Kum Fook, that our monks said and he is invited our monks from Myanmar to in charge of that temple but without pay anything to our monks, added he and his not respecting of our monks and sometime he ordered of his people to collected item such as paper, mineral water etc. without inform any words to our monks. In our religious believed we can’t take anything of holy place, if we done we are sin.
In pervious, our monk said the committees always asked money from him, when our monks gave RM20,000.00 in cash on 2001 to the committees, then committees keep silent, later committees make problem with our monk again and cancelled of our monk Visa permit to stayed in Malaysia, then our monks( Sadayaw Nandiya) go to Australia and our monk not come that temple at long time. “Yip Kom Fook gave our monk notebook computer for to cover of that amount of money our monk said”
Many local people around temple said, now no more people come to this temple because committees is always make problem and we are heard from local people said: Yip Kum Fook ordered of his people to put fire of Hindu temple at Taman Daya, Kepong because he needed that place to make his business about many years ago. “Everybody known what he done for Hindu temple at Taman Daya, Kepong”
Last time also he invited police to arrest the monks at holy place(temple) and locked the temple without afraid and shameful of people because he believed committee is big and has more authority, also his son always say to people: this temple is belonging of his father. “This temple donated from public, we are work hard for this temple”
This temple the committees always changed the monks, now they change the new monk to in charge of temple, this new monk also complaint the bad things of committees because committees also wait for donation box only, they without help anything to our monks. And committees controlled of our monks not to talk more or complaint more, our monks lived there as slaver and afraid of committees members.
In new building where remaining of Buddha statue marble; we have renovation of Buddha statue because that Buddha statue is put very low, we lift to highest the committees don’t like and unhappy. In our country, anyone be able to come temple to worship the Buddha but in Malaysia is different temple controlling by committees.
We hope everyone preserve of Buddhist teachings, and please safety of our monks, not see only money as this of temple. When we asked some of our people ( Myanmar) and local people, the committees are very low of idea because is very narrow mind and without education of religions. And committees will not disturbing of our monks, monks are like our father to take care of Buddhism and temple is like our place of resolving of our problem.
Recently, our monk(Sadayaw Ashin Indaka original from Madalay, Myanmar) has been staying in this temple also unhappy because the committees are not pay anythings to him, he is working in hardly to advise people and we also unhappy and very sad when heard the bad news from our monks. Sometime the committees people came and shouting in the temple without have any reason and done what they need to do, our monk said, the committees of this temple don’t have Buddhist teachings in their mind, may be next time Buddhist can destroy.
From Myanmar Buddhist group in Malaysia but many word complaint by local Buddhist community in Malaysia. If anyone receive of this message(email), please forward or send to your friends to protection Buddhism in Malaysia.
.-March 10th, 2010 at 8:55 am
johnson yap said:
This MCA Man strong(Yip Kum Fook)/strong is play dirty with Myanmar monks, he will receive bad karma in future, he disturbed Buddha student
.-March 18th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
liew said:
May be he(Yip) don’t know what the Buddha, if he know may be he is do like that, the Buddhist monks are students from Buddha times until today but students of Buddha have done well and done bad and but when they created good or bad they will response
But not only this Datuk Yip come to advise them, all the monks have their teachers(Masters) and their monastry to resident, this Datuk Yip kum Fook unmindfulness or may be he proud in himself because he thought(think) he is Datuk
Many people are very angry when go to read this article by Myanmar people and some said if my country(Myanmar) this Datuk Yip will people put fire on his house because so very dirty human
.-March 20th, 2010 at 9:24 am
heng said:
I heard people and monks said, Datuk Yip Kum Fook(MCA Man) came to disturbed monks with his people as inspector(police) and one group of his people hand to rejected of Ven. Piya Thammo who is from Penang, Ven. Piya Thamma now in Penang but he spreaded about his incident so widely
Datuk Yip Kum Fook destroyed of Buddhist monks, I heard also insulted of Buddhist monks, this kind of Datuk useless, also Ven. Piya Thammo said, he needed removed to stayed at his devotees house fro over night, this is very bad, the Temple for Stayed and learn of meditation, not for Datuk Yip Kum Fook
Ven. Piya said, Datuk Yip kum Fook will recieve sin and he can not run from sin(Karma)
david says
April 11, 2010 at 2:10 amHey!, I am staying at Kepong, Kuala Lumpur and I read some of news about Buddhist monks from Myanmar who resident of Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. That when I go to that news my mind is very sad or less of energy because why (MCA Chairman Gombak)Datuk Yip kum Fook President of Buddhist Temple so mind very low and dirty.
Sanghas(Buddhist monks) are behalf of Buddha and Sanghas do as Buddha work because passed way to attained highest Nirvana(Nibbana) about 2500 years ago in India. Today we can see only Sanghas here and there or do their duty for continue of Buddhist teaching, also all the Sanghas, they have their society or group, if any monks mistake, all of us available to complaint to their head leaders
Malaysia is more the other religions, when we are Buddhist to do anythings must very careful, this is very important, this Datuk Yip Kum Fook want to make Buddhist short age because he and his teams came temple to removed some monks out from Temple, I heard some monks needed to go out immediately because his teams and police are very strong.
Why Datuk Yip Kum Fook not think to correctly before done somethings, may be he unmindfulness or loose memory, I heard the Datuk Yip is Senator, Lawyer, chairman of MCA but his mind is very normal, also may be somethings inside there.