Photos of Buddhist monks working out spark anger among netizens

The photos were posted by Phra Paisalprachathon on the “ข่าวสารงานพระพุทธศาสนา” (Buddhist News) Facebook page on Friday, with the caption: “I understand that monks are prone to becoming overweight and developing NCDs [non-communicable diseases], so I invited health professionals to help the monks at my temple get in shape and take better care of themselves.”

Phra Paisalprachathon, who refers to himself as an abbot, did not say where these photos were taken in the original post.

On Saturday he said the photos had been taken at Wat Huay Pla Kang in Chiang Rai province, and that all the fitness equipment had been donated by devotees.

“The trainers were sent by the Chiang Rai public health office to teach monks how to use the equipment properly,” he added.

However, the photos sparked a myriad of negative comments with some netizens saying it was not suitable for monks to work out, pointing out that monks are expected to be calm and composed at all times. Others said monks’ duties did not include exercise.

However, one netizen saw sense in the exercise regime, saying it was good to see monks take better care of themselves as obesity has been a problem that plagues Buddhist monks due to their sedentary lifestyle.