Miracle or not? Fortune-teller & amulet monk under fire

Famous fortune-teller Mor Luck shares photo of monk miraculously parting sea on social media but is immediately ridiculed, conman turned monk in Maha Sarakham arrested for fraud.

Photo comparisons shared on social media to prove that the "miracle" claimed by a fortune-teller was, in fact, not a miracle but a common thing that happens to everyone.

RELIGION

Seer slammed for photo of alleged miracle by monk

29/07/2015
Online Reporters

Renowned fortune-teller Luck "Mor Luck" Rekhanithet has come under fire after he shared on social media a photo of a Buddhist monk performing what he claimed was a miracle.

Mor Luck, who is known for his fun thong (cut the flag) punchline after making predictions, posted three pictures of Phra Maha Boonchuay, a revered monk at Wat Suan Lamyai in Lamphun province, on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

One of the pictures shows the monk standing on the shoreline as the water seems to part around his feet.

The fortune-teller wrote: "Phra Maha Boonchuay, from Wat Suan Lamyai in Lamphun, has such great power of merit and virtue that he can divide the seawater."

After the post went viral, Thai social media members debated whether it was a miracle or just a natural occurrence.

One Facebook user wrote that he believed the monk was performing a miracle as the currents were not strong enough to create ripples.

However, another netizen commented that Mor Luck should not drag Phra Maha Boonchuay into "superstition", as the monk did not intend to perform any miracle.

Other Facebook users posted pictures of other beachgoers standing around in the water with similar patterns of water around their feet, and asked whether they too have holy power and were performing miracles.

On Wednesday, Mor Luck posted a new message saying he did not intend to mislead anyone, but he wanted to clarify "the truth" to the people.

"All in all, belief and faith made me post (that) yesterday," Mor Luck wrote.

MAGICAL AMULETS THAT DON'T WORK

In a related story, a monk claiming to have magical powers has been arrested in Maha Sarakham province on fraud charges.

The arrest followed a complaint that Phra Wichit, locally known as Phra Darkie, had claimed he could perform religious incantations to transform ordinary stones or rocks into so-called lek lai, a highly sought after metal used for amulets.

Many people bought the amulets but later discovered that they had no miraculous powers as claimed. However, most victims dared not file complaints against the monk.

The monk used the money from his victims to buy three cars for personal use.

The monk later admitted that before he entered the monkhood in 2009 he made money as a conman (grafter) cheating people.

Pichit Namkhot, 50, accused of swindling people, is interrogated after being arrested at a monastic centre in Maha Sarakham on July 28. (Photo by Wassayos Ngamkham)

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/636748/magic-monk-busted-for-fraud

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/637888/seer-slammed-for-photo-of-miracle-monk

สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/637952/miracle-or-not-fortune-teller-amulet-monk-under-fire