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THE CATHOLIC PLOT AGAINST BUDDHISM
=====================================
(Letter and Memorandum Attached)

From:
The Parien Dhamma Association of Thailand
Wat Sampraya
165, Phayap Road,
Bangkhumprom,
Bangkok, Thailand.
Tel: 282 3899
10th. May, 1984.

To: Pope John Paul II. Vatican City
====================================

The Roman Catholic Church in Thailand has intruded
onto Buddhism with many unjust actions as shown in the
attached Memorandum of Protest.

It has been for almost two years that the different
groups of Buddhists have made several complaints about
this matter, with the authorities and the
administrators of the Catholic Church in Thailand,
from the Apostolic Ambassador and the Cardinal, and on
down. But we find it most regrettable that those
people have not done anything to improve the situation
and have ignored all our protests.

On the occasion of your visit to Thailand, we
Buddhists would like to make a request to you as Head
of the world Catholics that you take these complaints
into consideration and take actions with what your
church has been doing, and to stop the Catholics here
in Thailand from distorting and subverting Buddhism.
We need sincere and honest relationships and mutual
respect, so that the Thai people of all religions
could live happily together as we have done all
through the long history of Thailand.

Sincerely,

(Signed)

(Translantion of Thai Names)
The Parien Dhamma Association of Thailand.
The Club of Volunteers to defend Thai.
The Group of Defenders of Thai Culture and Nationality
The Buddhist Protection Front.
The Young Buddhist Association of Nakon Pathom
The Young Buddhist Association of Surat Thani
The Young Buddhist Association of Trang.

=================================================

ATTACHED MEMORANDUM OF PROTEST
================================

Concerning:

THE INSULTING AND INSINCERE ACTIONS OF
===========================================
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH TOWARDS BUDDHISM
===============================================

INTRODUCTION TO THE ISSUES ARISING:
-------------------------------------

Thailand has the reputation through the ages as a land
with absolute freedom in the choice of religion.
Although Buddhism is identified as the religion of the
nation and of the majority of the population, all the
constitutions of the Country allow free choice of
religion. Any religious activity can be performed in
Thailand provided it is not against the peaceful and
moral living of the people. The Thai Government has
given support to all religions of the country. The
Thai people, regardless of religion, have lived and
worked together in peace, helping one another on the
basis of mutual sincerity and respect.

However, it is most regrettable to report that during
recent years, the Roman Catholic Church in Thailand
has been insulting Buddhism. Therefore, two years ago
the Buddhist associations, foundations, clubs, groups
as listed at the end of the preceding letter all
worked together to study and analyse these insulting
and unfair words and deeds meticulously, carefully and
justly for all concerned.
Nothing was done emotionally, resentfully or with any
prejudice or bias or any bad intention to the
Catholics.
Please note that it is of paramount importance that
the Buddhists have to defend the purity of their
religion and to keep up with all the events to the
contrary.

In keeping with the foregoing, documents of the
Vatican, as well as the Roman Catholic Church in
Thailand were studied and analysed with consideration
to all the actions of the Roman Catholic Church in
Thailand.

Therefore, this study is not aiming at creating any
dissent among different religions. It is not an
invasion or an impediment to other religions or an act
of narrow-mindedness or without any respect for or
cooperation with other religions. It is the duty and
responsibility of the Buddhists to defend the purity
of Buddhism and reveal the unjust actions of the
Catholic Church as well as their ulterior motives
towards Buddhism.

CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM THE STUDY:
---------------------------------

From this study and analysis it could be concluded
that the improper and wrong actions against Buddhists
are:
1) The insulting of the Triple Gem, which is of the
highest reverence to all the Buddhists

2) Dubious actions in the relations between the two
religions and the untrustworthy intention behind those
actions. (The details are published elsewhere)

These above points can be briefly expanded upon as
follows:
Firstly, the Roman Catholic Christianity in Thailand
has intentionally and continually insulted the Triple
Gem for a long time, and this not being due to their
misunderstanding, nor out of their ignorance, nor
because of their carelessness, and nor were these the
private actions of a small number of Christians.

All these are clearly seen from the following
evidences:

1) Insulting and lowering the status of the Buddha by
distorting that the Buddha's enlightenment was
inspired by GOD and that the Buddha, though a noble
personage, was only a sage or one of GOD's prophets at
most.

The Buddha is made inferior to Jesus
Christ in the following examples:

"If history confirms that the Buddha had prophesied
the arrival of Phra Sri Arya after 500 years of the
Buddha's Nirvana, the Buddha then, is one of GOD's
prophets to whom God has assigned the work to get the
people of the East ready to welcome Jesus Christ … The
era of Phra Arya, or Messiah, has started since the
arrival of Jesus Christ.
(Father Manas Chuabsmai, in Saeng Dharma Review, 3rd
year, Vol1, January - April 2522, p132)
(The Saeng Dharma Review is published by the Saeng
Dharma College which trains novices to be Fathers, and
is operated by the Roman Catholic Christianity. It is
located in Amphur Sampran, District of Nakorn
Prathom)

"God is the Truth. All the truth come from GOD. As the
Buddha teaches the truth, the truth, naturally comes
from GOD .."
(Former Father Kirati Boonchua, in 'The Tripitaka for
Christians', 2524, p 56"

"We may admit (accept) the Buddha's enlightenment as
GOD's involvement."
(Father Moling, Saeng Dharma Review, 5th year, Vol. 2,
May-August 2524, p54)
"The view (held by) of Christian Philosophers, the Law
of Causation is GOD's plan for the world and human
beings. God revealed this plan to the Buddha who
consequently attained enlightenment and proclaimed it
."
(Father Manas Chuabsmai, Saeng Dharma Review. 5th.
year, Vol.2 p.104)
"… take care not to lower Jesus Christ to the same
level as a sage or other great man of the world like
the Buddha, Confucius etc.,
(Father Samran Vongsangiam, Saeng Dharma review, 5th.
Year, Vel.2. p.37)

In public also:
All these fathers did not stop their aggression in
public. Father John Ulliana in his address to the
seminar for religious leaders on the Ratanakosin
bicentennial anniversary on 10th April,2525 at Wat
Benchamabopitr, said : "At present Christian masters
are studying the secret trick assigned by GOD to the
Buddha to teach the world .. that is meditation,
contemplation."
Comment :
Such an incident, if let go without remedy, will
certainly loom large to the extent of causing a
dissention between the Buddhists and the Christians."

2) The distortion and transformation of various
Buddhist moral principles to be used in
the explanations of Christianity in order to show that
Buddhist teachings and practices are only
a means to an end which is to be found in
Christianity. Such propaganda have
brought about confusion in the Dhamma as well as fake
and distorted moral principles. The
said distortion was carried out both times
in the Vatican City and by the Christians in
Thailand.
(Evidence of the operating style of Vatican City can
be seen from the "Bulletins" of the Secretariat for
non-Christians. The Bulletins describe policies and
devices to be used in dissemination of Christianity,
through dialogue which purpose is to swallow up main
principles of other religions as minor parts of
Christianity. These documents are of vital importance
since they are directly from the Vatican and are most
confidential, reserved only for Bishops and above
levels and chiefs of the Dissemination and Missionary
work.

Some examples are given from the "Bulletin" and "Saeng
Dharma Review":

"But the most profitable collaboration will be the
work which our experts will carry out with the texts
and with the Buddhist books so as to absorb the good
elements into the local Christian culture."
(S. Lokuang, Bulletin 10, March 1969, p.25)

"… a research will be made for the composition of a
new treatise in which Buddhist moral principles like
'not-self', the law of Causation, meditation,
Supernormal Powers etc., will be used to explain the
teachings of Christianity.
(Former Father Kirati Boonchua, Indian Philosophy,
p.118)

"Brahman is a condition of a major Atta, covering all
minor Atta… Heaven (of Christianity) should then be
similar to Nirvana and Brahman, which is the Ultimate
truth."
(Former Father Kirati Boonchua, Indian Philosophy , p.
101)

"Human Beings must rely on Dhamma, which was born
Jesus Christ . Every human being must follow the
condition of impermanence, suffering and not-self.
They cannot, by themselves, change into the
conditions, of permanence, happiness and self. They
must depend on Jesus Christ who will help change their
conditions from impermanence, suffering and s not self
to permanence, happiness and self."
(H.E. Bishop Ratana Bamrungtrakul, Sapdasarn, 16th
year, Vol. 878, Oct.12, 1980, P.5)

"The prime cause of all things is GOD, the Creator …
He is the Creator of the Universe and set up the Law
of Causation to rule the world."
(Father Manas Chuabsmai, Saeng Dharma Review, 5th.
Year,Vol.2, May-Aug 2524, p.102)

"Another change of mind is the admittance that
Buddhism is initiated by GOD to pave the way for Jesus
Christ…"
(Father A. Moling, Saeng Dharma review, 5th. Year,
Vol.2, May-August 2524)

"The practice of the Buddhist contemplative life has,
through the centuries, fascinated many sages of China
and Japan .. Why could not this exercise be inserted
in our meditative and contemplative life with a
fitting and prudent change?
(S. Lokuang, Bulletin 10, March 1969,p.26)

3) The imitation of the attires, religious
vocabularies, ways of life and ceremonies of the
Sangha which are based on the code of monastic life ,
is a means to usurp the cultural heritage of the noble
institution of the Sangha of Buddhism. Theistic
miracles of Christianity were inserted into the old
and beautiful culture of Thailand to create confusion
among the Buddhists.
Kathin ceremony, forest dwelling monks' robes
presentation ceremony, etc. Even the ceremony of
burying round stones in the ground to mark the sacred
limits of the Buddhist temple, with the Catholic
priests going around with the bowl to receive food are
performed in Christian style. What is most evident is
the imitation of terminology of Buddhism, such as
Patriarch, Wat, Sangha, Samanera, etc.

The following documents are given in evidence of what
supports the afore mentioned behaviour.

"Here, the adaptation of the ceremonies of the Roman
Catholic now performed by the Thai Catholics to make
them agreeable with all the customs and traditions of
the Thai People as permissible by theology and the
Roman Catholics."
(Father Samran Wongsangiem, Saeng Dharma Review, 5th.
Yea, Vol. 2 May-Aug 1981, p33)

"In Thailand .. there is a Sangha way of life.. .. to
become a monk is a glory of the male .. and we
Catholics shall have no part in it, we do not have a
similar system to offer the Thai people. Would not an
adaptation of this to the psychological need of the
Buddhist people be good for us too? We must try to
present Catholicism in local attire … as a preparation
for a real discussion with the Thai Buddhists, we must
first correct certain ideas we have on numerous
customs and rites which we call religious and carry
out a work of adaptation to the psychology of the
people. For example,, in the ceremony called the
blessing of the crops, where the King presides, the
bonzes are participating in the ceremonies. But why
could not the Catholic be there too, to pray as we do
on Rogation days uniting us to the whole nation on the
same day."
(Father John Ulliana. Bulletin No.11, June 1969,
p114,115)

"It is regrettable that the image of Catholicism in
Thailand is not complete because of the lack of
Bhikkhu - styled monks, which is an important
composition of Christianity life. If we have such
monks in Thailand, more Thai people will be interested
in our religion."
(Father Robert Gotte, Saeng Dharma Review, 5th. Year,
Vol.3, Sept-Dec 2524, p.54)

The actions mentioned above are insults to the Triple
Gem which is of the highest reverence for all
Buddhists.

In the second item, it can be seen that the Roman
Catholic Church officials have had many religious
contacts with Thai Buddhists, for the purpose of
exchanging of ideas. They have also have been doing
social development work, social welfare, etc., to give
the outward appearance of look honest, candid and
sincere, being equals, and giving mutual respect, all
with the apparent purpose of bringing benefits to Thai
society as a whole. But the analytical study has led
to strong doubts and evidence that those actions were
only a pretence to cover the real purpose which is to
adapt, distort and absorb the Thai culture into
Christianity. Their ultimate goal is to turn Thai
Buddhism into a form of Christianity. This is in
accordance with the policy and new strategy designed
and directed by the centre of the Roman Catholic
Church, the Vatican.

The local Catholic Church is responsible for
implementing the plan until it reaches the goal,
sooner or later, as the details may vary according to
the local situation.

IMPORTANT EVIDENCE:
-------------------

"Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations".
These words were written on golden lettering on the
frontal porch of Vatican II. It is the first and most
important target. (Cardinal P. Marella, Bulletin 10,
March 1969, p7)

" … The non-Christians are loved first of all,
inasmuch as they are members of Christ, at least
potentially, of that carnate truth which they do not
know and which is denied tham by the errors professed
by them .. .. "
(P. Rossano, Bulletin 6, November 1967, p141)

".. .. The other religions are a mixture of good and
bad, of truth and error … This is to say that the
truths and virtues of the other religions are a
starting point, a help and invitation to the
progressive journey whose clearly marked destination
is the perfect wisdom of the Christian revelation. ..
..When they see in those religions the seeds or terms
of the WORD. This necessarily calls for development,
for growth to the stature of the fullness of Christ
(Eph 4:13) a fullness which is not to be found except
by a gradual advance towards Christianity."
(P. Humbertelande, Bulletin 11, June 1969, pp.84-85)

"Since then, the missions are developing a wider
perspective. It is no longer one of converting the
religious cultures themselves, so to speak"
(A. Lunean, Bulletin 7, March 1969, p15)

"Outside of Christ, there is no salvation. Even in
modern times we must proclaim this fact."
(A. H. Kishi, Bulletin 10, March 1969, p33)

"This means that the terms 'peaceful co-existence',
'mutual understanding', and 'reciprocal respect' among
the other religions and the very dialogue to which
they are called, do not constitute the ultimate form
of the Christian conscience; for less do they lead to
a theoretical or practical acceptance on the Church's
part of the equality of all the religions".
(P. Rossano, Bulletin 16, 1971, p39)

"A sincere contract with men on the part of the
Church, 'on equal terms', on terms of friendship and
collaboration, as a preliminary for the announcement
of the Gospel."
(P. Rossano, Bulletin 5, June 1967, p113.)

"Missionaries never start from scratch. For dialogue
they need to discover the authentic values present in
the non-Christian religious, so as to purify them and
elevate them, fitting the gospel of Christ into them.
Thus, Christ will be shown to the non-Christians, not
as a stranger, but as the one whom they constantly
sought."
(Fides, Bulletin 11, June 1969, p122)

"Prudent directions are given in the constitution on
the liturgy regarding the Christian integration of
pre-existing religious rites and forms."
(P. Rossano, Bulletin 6, November 1967, p142)

"Non-Christians are to be found everywhere today. In
many countries they constitute the vast majority, they
are, therefore, in possession of the nations's culture
and power and have at their disposal the instruments
for teaching and the means of forming public opinion
to their liking. Now, if a danger exists for the
Faith, it is precisely in this unconscious contact
which eludes all control and all immunization."
(P. Humbertelande, Bulletin 11, June 1969. p92)

Our studies reveal that the Catholic Church in
Thailand has carried out all the activities in
accordance with the policy and strategies of the
Vatican, step by step, and continuing for more than 10
years with systematic organization and coordination.

We Buddhists are willing to join with all other
religions, especially in the activities which are
beneficial for the common good such as social
development work, social welfare, etc. But these have
to be performed with sincerity aiming at the benefits,
the happiness and the co-operation of all Thais. Each
religion must be honored and respected and treated on
an equal basis; not to put uip work for the public as
a covering in order to subvert Buddhism and convert
all the Buddhists into Christians, absorbing Buddhist
principles as a minor part of Christianity.

Therefore, we Buddhists would like to demand that
these unjust and intruding actions of the Roman
Catholic Church to Buddhism be stopped. They are
insults to the Triple Gem and all these insincere
actions denote bad intentions to Buddhism. If the
Roman Catholic Church does not declare that they are
aware of their mistakes (errors) they have made and
stop them and make good and rectify past bad actions
and results, good relations and goods understanding
between the Buddhists and the Roman Catholic Church
can no longer be brought about.

- - - - -

Four letters , at least were sent to the Vatican and
the local Catholic Church.
All these letters were ignored.

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