There is a growing sickness in our temples — and we must name it now, or we will lose the soul of what Buddhism truly is.
Once, the Buddha walked for miles each day, not to collect offerings, but to teach. To confront delusion. To awaken. He did not wait for meals, did not build shrines, did not guilt people into giving. He gave the dhamma first — powerfully, freely, daily. He taught with presence, with fire, with truth. That is what made him worthy of a spoonful of rice.
Now? We have monks who do not walk. They do not teach. They wait. They sit in halls that others built before them, cloaked in borrowed holiness, smiling from inherited robes, while doing nothing to carry forward the spirit that once made those temples sacred. And worse — they exploit.
Modern monks have learned how to guilt you with a smile.
They say “give and you’ll gain merit.”
They say “refuse, and your karma may rot. You are not generous”
They use fear. They use tradition. They use the name of the Buddha — but not his path.
They are fed well. They have shelter. Their temples are already built. Yet they ask for more — always more.
New marble floors. New golden statues. Bigger halls. Air-conditioned rooms. Giant images of the Buddha carved in stone — while the actual teachings of the Buddha gather dust in the corner.
You are not giving to dhamma.
You are giving to decoration.
And then there are the scandals. One after another.
Monks with mistresses. Monks laundering money. Monks hoarding luxury cars.
Monks who exploit the kindness of the people and call it “blessings.”
This is not the exception anymore.
It has become the norm.
Even temples that were once sacred — led by monks who radiated purity, wisdom, and discipline — have now become hollow shrines, maintained by disciples who wear the same robes but carry none of the light.
Just because a temple was holy once, does not mean it is holy now.
Just because a monk was taught by a great master, does not mean he carries that master’s heart.
We must stop this blind loyalty to names and titles.
We must stop donating just because a monk is “famous.”
We must stop sponsoring temples that build gold while ignoring truth.
Ask yourself — what are they doing for society?
Are they teaching? Are they building spiritual tools? Are they helping people awaken?
Or are they just asking — and giving nothing back?
And listen carefully: Never give to those who guilt-trip you.
Never give just because they wear robes.
Never give just because thousands call him “master.”
Crowds are easily fooled. Robes can be worn. Titles can be inherited.
But truth cannot be faked.
Be discerning. Always.
Support those who uplift others.
Support those who teach, who serve, who give without expecting to be worshipped.
Support those who build spiritual power, not those who endlessly upgrade their temples while doing nothing for the people.
Do not let anyone exploit you in the name of religion, belief, or spirituality.
Be clever. Be awake.
You are not cruel for saying no.
You are not heartless for refusing to feed spiritual parasites.
You are aware.
And that — more than any donation — is the highest merit.
Because if you keep giving to the wrong ones — you are not making merit.
You are creating karma.
You are funding falsehood. You are feeding a disease.
You are helping religion rot from the inside out.
This is not Buddhism.
This is not spirituality.
This is exploitation in sacred robes.
And it must stop.
So let this be clear:
If they are not teaching, transforming, or serving society — they do not deserve to be fed.
Period.
And if they try to guilt you with words like “dhamma,” “karma,” or “merit” — look them in the eye and say:
“Buddha walked to teach.
You are sitting to be fed.
That is not the same.
And I will not feed it.”
