Fake Buddhist monks live in Flushing

Angel Chevrestt, NY Post

From the NY Post:

Bands of beggars dressed like Buddhist monks have invaded the High Line and other city parks, demanding upwards of $40 from tourists — and officials are fed up.

The behavior of the phony ­Himalayan holy men has been anything but heavenly in Bryant Park. One was spotted last week swiping a plastic water bottle from a clueless sidewalk vendor.

Other faux friars were spotted on smoking breaks, trying to hide the unchaste behavior near a subway entrance. Two napped on library ledges.

The masquerading monks are largely Chinese nationals who return to Flushing flophouses with their day’s earnings, sometimes changing out of their robes on the subway, before gathering at a local restaurant for a meal that usually includes alcohol, according to one observer.

Real Buddhist monks typically shun toxins including cigarettes and alcohol.

Beware of the fake monks

From the NY Times:

In Times Square, amid the dozens of Elmos, Mickey Mouses and superheroes who work the crowds for loose bills, new costumed characters have come to seek their fortunes.

They are mostly men of Chinese descent, with shaved heads, beatific smiles and flowing robes of orange, but sometimes brown or gray. They follow a similar script: Offering wishes of peace and a shiny amulet, they solicit donations from passers-by, often reinforcing their pitch by showing a picture of a temple for which the money seems to be intended. Then they open a notebook filled with the names of previous donors and the amounts given.

The men appear to be Buddhist monks; a smaller number of similarly dressed women say they are Taoist nuns.

No one seems to know who they really are or where they come from. The police have taken no official stance, stepping in only when the monks become aggressive. Various Buddhists have confronted the men, asking about their affiliation or quizzing them about the religion’s precepts. The men remain silent or simply walk away.

They have become ubiquitous — so much so that the Naked Cowboy, the Times Square performer whose real name is Robert Burck, now simply refers to them as “co-workers.”

“They’re littered all over,” he said.

Even in New York, where people soliciting money are practically a tourist attraction, these monks tend to stand out, both for their attire and for their sense of entitlement. They offer the amulet and, in some cases, a bracelet; if they are not satisfied with the donation, they unabashedly demand $20 or more.

This year, the police have arrested at least nine people who have presented themselves as monks, mostly on charges of aggressive begging or unlicensed vending.

But merely begging in the streets is not against the law. The police have largely left these men alone, to the consternation of Buddhist leaders in New York’s Chinese neighborhoods, who portray them as nothing more than beggars who undermine Buddhists’ credibility.

A curious collection

I was sent this image by a reader asking what I thought this was about. The plate was found left behind near a park in Woodside.

Someone on Reddit responded:

I'm guessing these ones are from a ritual focused on the Protector deities, as those are extensively performed at the end of the Tibetan year and today is Losar (New Years day), the first day of the wood horse year. After the ritual the tormas are usually disposed of where animals can eat them, to share the merit of the ritual with all beings.

Alrighty then. Let me remind the vibrant and diverse among us that your rituals are protected under the 1st Amendment, but your trash is not.