Thai monk throws money from the sky to celebrate his birthday (video)

A Thai Buddhist monk ascended into the air on a crane and threw 150,000 baht cash to attendees of his birthday party at a temple in Surin province in northeast Thailand on Tuesday.

To celebrate his 46th birthday and 24th year in the monkhood, Phra Khru Phot Suwannarat – aka Luang Phor Kaen – hired a crane to hoist him into the sky inside what looks like a boxing ring draped in curtains.

The monk flew through the sky like Aladdin, throwing 150,000 baht cash and other goodies down into the crowds of lay Buddhists who attended his birthday party at Wat Suwannarat Phothiyaram Temple in Lamduan district.

Despite much of modern Thai Buddhism being centred around merit and money, monks are actually prohibited from accepting or owning money. Thai monks are not allowed to accumulate personal wealth because it is seen as a hindrance on the path to nirvana in the Theravada tradition.

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