Public wants Ming Yi to disrobe

Public wants Ming Yi to disrobe


Some Singaporeans have expressed disappointment at Ming Yi after he was found guilty yesterday and there are even calls for him to disrobe!

Many are of the view that since Ming Yi was already pronounced guilty by the court, he should not continue to dorn the saffron robes and should draw a clear demarcation between himself and Buddhism.

Mr Liu, an owner of a hardware shop said:

“The Ming Yi saga will have an influence on how the laity view monkhood. He should disrobe as a Buddhist monk.”

Madam Fan, a housewife added:

“I am very disappointed with Ming Yi. I never expect as a Buddhist monk, he leads such an extravagant lifestyle. He should be punished by the law.”

President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation Venerable Kuang Shen opined that it is Ming Yi’s choice to decide if he wants to disrobe as it is his freedom to do so.

He said:

“This is a personal action of Ming Yi, nobody feels good about the entire episode. He has to be responsible for his karma.”

Ming Yi was one of the most prominent faces of Buddhism in Singapore. He became a Buddhist monk soon after completing his studies at Raffles Junior College.

After he founded Ren Ci, he remained as its CEO for more than 10 years before he resigned in 2007. He was the Secretary-General of the Singapore Buddhist Federation from 1996 to 2004.

Interview source: Lianhe Wanbao