The life of a monk involves religious devotion and giving back to the community. Needless to say, violence would be the last thing one would expect to come from a monk.
An alleged monk, however, got into an altercation with a bereaved family at a wake in Bukit Merah recently. Footage of the scuffle made its way to social media, with some calling the monk a “gangster”.
Source: Facebook
Responding to the incident, a Singapore Buddhist Federation spokesperson expressed disappointment and said they’ve apologised to the grieving family. The representative added that the monk’s actions were unbecoming.
In a video posted in the Complaint Singapore Facebook group, an alleged monk wearing a grey robe was seen having a heated conversation with several individuals at a wake.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the wake took place at a void deck along Delta Avenue last Saturday (29 Apr).
In the clip, the monk audibly uttered phrases like “She’s your wife right” and “Why can’t she help?”, in between aggressive pointing gestures.
Source: Facebook
The argument quickly escalated into a scuffle as the monk and members of the bereaved family got into a tussle.
The OP further claimed that the monk’s “friend” had arrived at the scene with a “four-feet-long stick”, but was stopped before he could harm anyone.
Source: Facebook
Turns out, the argument broke out over a speaker that the monk had used to recite prayers.
The monk had reportedly asked the bereaved family to move the speaker to their apartment upstairs.
The family was unhappy with the monk’s request, resulting in the hostile confrontation.
Shin Min Daily News reports that the monk in question is acquainted with a member of the bereaved family and was at the wake under a private arrangement.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly before the funeral. In light of the incident, the funeral parlour had to arrange for another monk to recite the funeral prayers.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a representative of the Singapore Buddhist Federation said that the monk’s actions were unbecoming.
The federation has also reached out to the bereaved family to extend their apologies.
The representative emphasised that there’ll always be black sheep and hoped that the public would continue to respect other monks who follow the rules.
While the incident is likely to affect the bereaved family’s grieving process, we hope they were able to send off their loved one properly during the funeral.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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