A temple abbot who used a DIY guillotine to behead himself in hope of attaining enlightenment might have misinterpreted some things along the way, Thailand’s religious authorities said yesterday.
While most people give money or free captive birds, Dhammakorn Wangphrecha believed the ultimate way to make merit was with one’s head, so he practiced what he preached on Thursday, cutting ropes to bring down the meter-long blade of his homemade guillotine.
The National Buddhism Office disagreed with his methods.
Office spokesman Sipbowon Kaeo-ngam said the actions of the abbot of Wat Phuhingong Monastery in northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu province were “a private matter,” in part because he had quit the monkhood prior. But he added that black magic, spells and rituals inconsistent with Buddhist teachings were banned from practice, adding that the government religious…
