Buddhist monk arrested for watching porn

Buddhist monks are not supposed to do anything that would encourage passion, craving or attachment.

Watching pornography isn’t prohibited, technically speaking, as long as one manages to not get aroused. Similarly, during the World Cup, monks were allowed to watch soccer, as long as they didn’t get too excited and rowdy.

You might think that watching pornography without getting aroused would defeat the purpose.

And you would have a good point, which is why pornography is generally discouraged in Buddhist monasteries.

That’s not to say monks don’t try to smuggle it in on a regular basis.

Just this week, a monk from the Dippitigoda Dalugoda temple in Peliyagoda, Sri Lanka, was reportedly arrested for watching “blue films” on temple premises.

According to the Sunday Leader, the Chief Monk of the temple lodged a complaint with the Peliyagoda police, who arrested the monk in question.

The offending monk was fined and released. And his computer was confiscated.

But cases of monks behaving badly aren’t all that unusual.

Behavioral problems of monks have been an issue from Thailand to Tibet.

In Cambodia, reports of monks getting into violent fights, watching porn, drinking, gambling and even rape are common, according to the Asia Portal. 

Some monks not only watch porn, they even engage in its production, which is where an industry called convent pornography (also known as monk erotica) comes in.

It’s typically produced by people dressed up as monks, not actual monks.

But not always, as this story from Sri Lanka suggests.