A Buddhist monk from Nha Trang has made headlines in recent days as a video and pictures allegedly showing him engaged in sexual acts with a woman surfaced on the internet. The monk, referred to as a Venerable Sir, is reportedly the abbot of a pagoda in Nha Trang.
According to Thanh Nien, the Sangha (a community of monks and nuns) of Khanh Hoa province is scheduled to have a meeting regarding this issue next Wednesday. Though his Sangha has decided to reserve judgment until the conclusion of these proceedings, Vietnamese netizens have not been as patient, taking to social networks to deride the monk.
This isn’t the first controversy that has surrounded a monk in Vietnam this year. A video of Venerable Sir Thich Thanh Cuong of Hai Duong Province eagerly unpacking a brand new iPhone 6 went viral in October resulting in his dismissal as chief monk at his pagoda and head of the Tu Ky District Buddhist Management Board.
