Three Golden Pagoda denies collecting 60 billion in "tickets", clarifies DNA testing of hair relics

On January 3, talking to the press, Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh (abbot of Ba Vang Pagoda, Uong Bi City, Quang Ninh) affirmed that Ba Vang Pagoda does not deceive Buddhists about "relics of the Buddha's hair".

"On social media spreading news, smearing, defaming the temple and I went to buy pili grass about scamming Buddhists. Each Buddhist who goes to the temple must pay 1 million. 6,000 Buddhists, I took 60 billion and took the relics of the Buddha's hair and fled abroad. Ba Vang Pagoda buys flowers and each person has to pay 100,000 VND. It is false information and slander. I am very sad," Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh said.

Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh added that Ba Vang Pagoda is a place to express freedom of belief and religion.

"It is as if the Buddha statue at the temple is made of concrete, wood, not the real Buddha, but they worship, it is still the Buddha in every person. Therefore, the information on social media contrary is an insult to the beliefs of Buddhists. On social media, there is information that I heard and I am extremely distressed," Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh shared.

Regarding the information that the 8 hairs of the Shwedagon Pagoda (also known as the Golden Pagoda, Myanmar) are strictly preserved, admired from afar but appear at the Three Golden Pagoda for people to come close to contemplation, Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh explained, nor did he confirm that the Shwedagon Pagoda had enough 8 hairs of the Buddha or not?

At Parami Temple (Myanmar), the hair is passed down from generation to generation, the previous monk passed it on to the next monk and the monks believe it is the "Buddha's hair relics".

On the issue of whether the hair is tested for DNA belonging to the Buddha, Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh said the test takes who as a control when the Buddha has passed away from nirvana for thousands of years.

According to Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh, monks in Myanmar said this was the first time the hair relics of the Buddha were brought to Vietnam.

The abbot of the Three Golden Pagoda insisted that he did not do a lie. Soon after the sale of objects such as Buddha's hair relics on e-commerce platforms, Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh also let Buddhists buy but could not and the page for sale has now disappeared.

The abbot of Ba Vang Pagoda added that currently AI technology is very modern and intelligent, so the creation of hair that can move like the real thing is inevitable. Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh asked the authorities to see what such social media sites are like and deal with the sale of fake relics.

Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh added that in the morning of January 3, he worked with the Quang Ninh Provincial Committee of Religious Affairs and Uong Bi City authorities to clarify information.

Earlier on January 2, Quang Ninh province had official information about the procession and worship of the "hair relics of the Buddha" by Ba Vang Pagoda, causing a stir. Accordingly, some activities of the Three Golden Pagoda such as: petition ceremony, exoneration of bondholders, transfer to the Nanjing sect, disunity statements related to mother worship, procession and display of objects believed to be "hair relics of the Buddha" from Myanmar have the potential to disturb security and order in the area, causing confusion among the people.

From December 23 to 27, 2023, Ba Vang Pagoda will organize a procession and display of so-called "Buddha hair relics" for people to worship and some activities are not in accordance with the law on subjects as well as the registration time under the Law on Belief and Religion and the Government's Decree No. 162/2017/ND-CP dated December 30, 2017 detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law Beliefs, Religions.

The organization for Buddhists to worship the so-called "Buddha hair relics" is an exhibition activity, so it violates the provisions of the Government's Decree No. 23/2019/ND-CP dated February 26, 2019 on exhibition activities. Quang Ninh has instructed the Quang Ninh Provincial Committee on Religious Affairs to coordinate with Uong Bi City People's Committee to continue examining, clarifying, consolidating dossiers and reporting to competent agencies to handle relevant entities for violations according to regulations.

Vụ trưng bày "xá lợi tóc Đức Phật": Trụ trì chùa Ba Vàng sám hối, bị kỷ luật Uyển Đình13:40:16 05/01/2024Giáo hội Phật giáo Việt Nam triệu tập họp Đại đức Thích Trúc Thái Minh, trụ trì chùa Ba Vàng (tỉnh Quảng Ninh) vì liên quan đến vụ việc trưng bày xá lợi tóc Đức Phật cung thỉnh từ Myanmar về chùa Ba Vàng.