Vietnam orders monks to stop profiting from karma rituals
- Government says karma business at Ba Vang pagoda ‘goes against Buddhist philosophy’ and ‘has a negative impact on social order and security’
Vietnamese authorities have ordered monks at a popular Buddhist pagoda to stop “soul summoning” and “bad karma eviction” 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 (US$45-US$13,500) to have their bad karma vanquished, according to the state-run Lao Dong newspaper.
The Committee for Religious Affairs, a government body, issued a statement on its website on Friday saying “the ritual goes against Buddhist philosophy and violates Vietnam’s law on religion and folk beliefs”.
“It has a negative impact on social order and security,” it said.
Calls to the pagoda were not answered on Friday.