Monastery in Thailand under investigation after authorities find 41 bodies allegedly used for meditation
Buddhist monastery Thai police said on Sunday that authorities were investigating after discovering more than 40 bodies allegedly used for meditation practices at the scene.
Forty-one bodies were found at the Pa Nakhon Chaibovorn temple in Thailand’s Phichit province on Saturday, a senior police officer told AFP.
“The bodies are accompanied by death certificates and body donation certificates,” he said, adding that no charges had been filed so far.
He said police were contacting relatives of the deceased to confirm that the body was a voluntary donation.
“We are trying to ensure that no body is stolen,” said the officer, who requested anonymity.
On Wednesday, police discovered 12 bodies at another temple in neighboring Kamphaeng Phet province, days after conducting a search, local Thai media reported.
Phra Ajarn Saifon Phandito, the head of a Phichit temple, told Thailand’s PBS television channel that using corpses was part of a “meditation technique” he developed.
“Many of the people who come to study are abbots, and all these monks … are passing on knowledge,” he said. “I don’t know how many people have adopted my technology.”
He also told another local TV station that “practitioners meditate in a pavilion containing a coffin.”
Kom Pattarakulprasert, Director of the Buddhist Office of Phichit Province, told the Bangkok Post It is unusual to include the body in meditation.
“I asked Phra Ajarn Saifon Phandito if there was a body and was told no,” Kom told the media. “But when reporters discovered the 41 bodies, I was surprised by the conflicting stories. I will discuss with the head of the local clergy whether this approach is appropriate.”
Phichit police said they are working with authorities in other provinces to investigate how widespread the practice is.
