- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Buddhist Association to Sue Media Outlets Over 'Nuns Partying' Video

© AFP 2023 / Ed JonesBuddhist monks looking at a mobile phone
Buddhist monks looking at a mobile phone - Sputnik International
Subscribe
A local Buddhist association has vowed to sue media outlets and netizens, after a video allegedly showing members partying at a nun's wedding went viral.

The Wutaishan Buddhist Association (WBA) of North China's Shanxi Province accused media of "tarnishing Buddhism" over the video, titled "Buddhist nuns participate in a Wutai Mountain nun's wedding." The tape, which depicts shaven-headed women in robes at a hotel attracted more than 1 million viewers on Sina Weibo by the weekend.

© ScreenshotScreenshot of the video
Screenshot of the video - Sputnik International
Screenshot of the video

In a Saturday WeChat statement, the WBA claimed that the guests are actually members of a pyramid scheme called "Wuxingbi," whose members shave their heads.

Buddhist monks at the Japan. (File) - Sputnik International
Buddhist Monk Busted in Japan for Paying Teen Prostitute With Fake Money
The association said that the wedding party had nothing to do with WBA members and that the video's uploaders only used their name to garner clicks. The association added that it has already instructed lawyers to demand platforms take the video down, apologize to and compensate them.

WBA lawyer Wei Haisheng said on Sunday that the association had reported the case to the public security bureau.

According to a 2013 judicial interpretation that defines what constitutes "fabricating facts to slander others" online, and what could be regarded as "serious" violations, citizens can be charged with defamation if their rumors are viewed by more than 5,000 netizens or retweeted more than 500 times.

Others also expressed outrage over the video, with many calling it an insult to the sanctity of Buddhism and slamming the social platforms for being careless.

"How can these social platform administrators allow such videos to go online without even scrutinizing their reliability?" a Weibo user wrote.

Buddhism is a peaceful and tolerant religion, and considers litigation a last resort, said Wei. However, more and more cases have blackened the name of Buddhism in recent years, he said, adding, "It's time for us to take actions to defend the reputation of Buddhism."

In 2016, the WBA also slammed rumors claiming that temples on Wutai Mountain were hiring monks with a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan ($1,159).

This article appeared originally in the Global Times.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала