In this undated photo, visitors fill the courtyard of the Ba Vang pagoda in Uong Bi city, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Vietnamese authorities have ordered monks at a popular Buddhist pagoda to stop 鈥渟oul summoning鈥� and 鈥渂ad karma eviction鈥� ceremonies, saying such rituals violate the country鈥檚 law on religion and folk beliefs. According to the state-run Lao Dong newspaper, worshippers have been paying the 18th century Ba Vang pagoda in northern Vietnam 1 million Vietnamese dong to several hundred million dong ($45-$13,500) to have their bad karma vanquished. (Vietnam 黑料社 Agency via AP)
HANOI, Vietnam 鈥� Vietnamese authorities have ordered monks at a popular Buddhist pagoda to stop 鈥渟oul summoning鈥� and 鈥渂ad karma eviction鈥� ceremonies after an investigation found the rituals were a scam.
Tens of thousands of worshippers have been paying the 18th century Ba Vang pagoda in northern Quang Ninh province between 1 million and several hundred million dong ($45-$13,500) to have their bad karma vanquished, according to the state-run Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper.
The Committee for Religious Affairs, a government body, issued a statement on its website on Friday saying 鈥渢he ritual goes against Buddhist philosophy and violates Vietnam鈥檚 law on religion and folk beliefs.鈥�
鈥淚t has a negative impact on social order and security,鈥� it added.
Calls to the pagoda were not answered Friday.
Monks at the pagoda teach that all illnesses and misfortune result from bad deeds in previous lives.
Three times a month, they hold a two-day ceremony to 鈥渟ummon wandering souls鈥� and 鈥渞emove bad karma,鈥� demanding donations, supposedly representing good deeds, to help cure bad karma and make up for supposed bad deeds in previous lives.
Such rituals have been going on for years, but the practice has drawn unfavorable attention as the amounts demanded by the monks soared to the point where they began taking payments by bank transfers and by installments.
Public outrage flared when an inspirational speaker associated with the pagoda blamed a victim for being gang raped, saying she had committed evil acts in a past life in comments posted on the pagoda鈥檚 website and on social media. The 20-year-old college student was taken hostage and raped by five men for two days before she was killed on the eve of the Feb. 5 Lunar New Year.
鈥淭he teaching was hurtful and disrespectful to the soul of my daughter,鈥� Tuoi Tre, another official newspaper, quoted the woman鈥檚 mother as saying.
The monks also teach that homosexuality comes from bad karma and should be 鈥渃ured鈥� by having people of the opposite sex spend time together.
鈥淰indictive wandering souls follow people. They bring you illness, marriage problems and make your children unwell. We have the power to summon the souls and evict them,鈥� the abbot of the pagoda, Thich Truc Thai Minh, told followers during a gathering that was live streamed on social media on Thursday.
A reporter for Lao Dong shot a video at the pagoda showing a monk telling another woman, who was distraught over losing her only child: 鈥淚t鈥檚 your karma. In previous life, you were a witch.鈥�
鈥淎nd the wandering soul says it will take your life, too. Not just your child,鈥� the monk said.
Ba Vang pagoda was built on a mountain slope in Uong Bi district of Quang Ninh province. It was recently renovated and expanded to become one of Vietnam鈥檚 largest pagoda complexes.
Only a minority of Vietnam鈥檚 95 million people follow Buddhism, but many non-Buddhists go to pagodas and temples and practice a form of folk religion that includes some Buddhist practices.
Religions that are not registered with the government are prohibited. The Ba Vang pagoda belongs to a registered Vietnamese Buddhist association.聽 /muf