Thai monk faces backlash for enjoying Japan trip: Buddhist monk turned influencer

Monk Joe under fire for viral video of trip to Japan, breaking Buddhist rules. Netizens criticize his actions and lifestyle.

The Twitter account, Red Skull, shared a video of the deputy abbot of Rai Pru Temple, Phra Maha Sornnarin Dhammanarintho, or Joe, yesterday, December 27, with a caption that reads...

"Social media influencer in orange robe enjoying a seven-day trip to Japan! This is Joe, a monk who previously made headlines for diving in his robe. Being a monk is a dream job for people. You can earn a good income and travel abroad with this easy job! How did he do 10 routines of monks in Japan?"

The video shows Joe and four other monks at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok waiting for a flight to Japan. The group visited several tourist sites in Japan including the HEP FVIE Ferris Wheel, Tsutenkaku Tower, the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, Kinkakuji Temple and the World Heritage Village of Shirakawa-go.

Joe was also seen enjoying ramen noodles and soft ice cream during the trip. According to traditional practice, monks should not buy food or drink and should only eat food offered by Buddhists. There is also a specific time for monks to eat. They should not eat or chew food after noon every day.

Following the strict rules that Thai Buddhist monks should follow, many Thai netizens raised questions about why Joe and other monks did not seem to follow the 10 routines of monks during their trip. Some said that Joe's actions and gestures in the videos were not as calm as monks should be.

Joe came under the fire before, after sharing a video of himself enjoying diving in the sea in the monk robe. He later stepped forward to apologise for what he had done and urged people to also focus on other videos in which he talked about the Dhamma.

After the video went viral on social media, the director of the Trang Provincial Buddhist Office, Sukpichai Chaowakun, assured the public that he would discuss it with Joe when he arrived in Thailand on December 30. Sukpichai added that he already asked Joe to delete all the videos in Japan from his TikTok account.

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