Monks win the Thai lottery

It is not easy to be a monk and to live according to the Buddhist rules. The temptations are sometimes too great for monks. In a society where the Buddhist tradition monks forbids engaging in vices or even touching money, gambling would not belong there either. And now that these two monks were "unlucky" to win the grand prize of 44 million baht in total, this is an inappropriate behavior and will be investigated.

This lottery win is considered even more shameful than the lifestyle of the “jet-set monk”, who has now had to answer to court.

Khajornwat Chanuthattmumophikhu, 23, and an unnamed 81-year-old priest of Thamsamakkee Temple each played with numbers “289673” in the June 16 lotto draw this year. Khajornwat won 6 million baht for a winning lottery ticket, while the elder monk won a total of 38 million baht for several winning tickets lots. The story goes that Khajornwat bought all the winning lottery tickets while still working as a non-ordained monk's assistant on June 15. He kept one lot for himself and gave the others to the elder monk. Because no monk bought the lottery tickets directly, no Buddhist laws were broken, said Abbot Athikansombun Lekhthathummo of Thamsamakkee Temple.

The elderly monk fled the temple and went into hiding after the news broke, while Khajornwat, who only planned to remain ordained for two weeks, is set to retire on July 1.

Abbot Athikansombun Lekhthathummo confirmed that the two monks had won the government lottery, but declined to give the name or location of the elder winner. He said only that the 81-year-old monk from Nonthaburi who had worked at Thamsamakkee temple for five years has left the temple because of the "commotion" his victory has caused.

Khajonwat, who only became a monk on June 16 to thank his mother in this way, said he got permission from the abbot before transferring the winnings to his bank account. But he promised not to spend the money until he left the temporary monkhood. Then, he said, he will pay off his mother's debts and buy her a house. He said he would also like to make a donation to orphans in the Father Ray Foundation, as he lost his own father years ago. For the young temporary monk, the 6 million baht windfall is a big change in his life.

It is unknown what the elderly monk plans to do with his 38 million baht or if he plans to remain a monk.

The abbot said numerous groups had come to the temple asking for a donation, while others had sought out the winners themselves.

Source: Pattaya Mail