Monk inspectors target fake holy men
Print Edition
AN inspection team comprised of 10 monks have helped expose more than 600 fake holy men at Mount Wutai, a famous Buddhist sanctuary in north China’s Shanxi Province.
The sanctuary attracts millions of believers and tourists every year. It is also a magnet for hustlers posing as monks, who are notorious for parting those visitors with their money by begging for alms, telling fortunes, and performing street shows.
“We’ve tried ways to crack down on the scams, and the monk inspection team has proved to be the best way,” said the office director with the religious affairs bureau of Mount Wutai, who only gave his surname as Lu.
According to Lu, the team was established in March and the members, wearing special badges around their necks while on duty, performed regular patrols or surprise checks over the following months.
Master Yiliang, head of the team, said they recognize the local monks, and they ask unfamiliar monks their identities and details about their visits.
“If they cannot show us the Buddhist certificate, we will take away their robes, ask them to leave and report to it the police,” he told Xinhua, adding that Mongolian and Tibetan monk inspectors have helped communicate with visiting monks from minority regions.
To date, the team has discovered over 600 fake monks and confiscated over 500 monk robes since it was established.
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