The ‘pervert’ head of a Louisiana Buddhist monastery is charged with getting a Vietnamese nun pregnant: After being refused an abortion, a lady went back to her house.
The head of the Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge, Abbot Quyen Van Ho, was charged of enlisting Vietnamese Buddhist nuns for sex.
The temple’s members sued Ho, claiming that his actions caused a large exodus of followers and ruined the temple’s community.
Ho was ordered to stop using temple funds and be relieved of his position as a result of the litigation.
Ho disputed the accusations made against him and maintained that no judicial action was necessary.
The head of a Buddhist temple in Louisiana is involved in a court battle after temple members accused him of sexual misconduct.
Abbot Quyen Van Ho, also known as Thich Dao Quang, was allegedly engaging in improper sexual behavior with Vietnamese Buddhist nuns on a regular basis, according to members of the Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge.
One of these nuns allegedly became pregnant with Ho, and when she went to have an abortion, she was sent back to Vietnam without telling the board of directors or other patrons of the temple why.
The complaint requested Ho’s removal from the temple on the grounds that he had broken his Buddhist vows, notably his vow of celibacy, and had done irreparable injury to the institution.
All monks, nuns, and novices have departed Tam Bao Temple except from Quyen Van Ho and one other monk as a result of Quyen Van Ho’s immoral behavior. According to The Advocate, the lawsuit claimed that because to this drop in membership, temple members’ capacity to make gifts has also decreased.
Ho denied all of the allegations, and his lawyer, Yigal Bander, called them “defamatory falsehoods” and argued that they had no business being brought up in court.
According to Bander, the courts lack the jurisdiction to decide what constitutes a good pastor, whether a pastor should be hired or dismissed, or if a pastor is honoring his religion or not.
Because the issue avoids the First Amendment’s restrictions against governmental interference in the free practice of religion, it is unclear how the court will decide on it.
In the meanwhile, the court has mandated that both sides plan a leadership election inside the temple, which might result in Ho being fired.
The head of the Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge, Abbot Quyen Van Ho, was charged of enlisting Vietnamese Buddhist nuns for sex.
Abbot Quyen Van Ho appeared last week outside a courtroom in Baton Rouge with his defense attorneys, Yigal Bander (left) and Tanner Woods (right).
Ho has been the Tam Bao Temple’s head since 2003, and the plaintiffs claim that his actions persisted for years prior to the April lawsuit’s filing.
Plaintiffs Phuong Le, Lan Tran, Lien Ta, and Elizabeth Le said that they first approached Ho with the accusations in 2020 but that their attempts to get him removed had been unsuccessful.
It’s time for the court to take action, a temple member named Lila Ton said on Monday outside a courtroom in Baton Rouge. “We’ve tried so many avenues to offer him forgiveness.”
Mya Tran, another temple member, also spoke outside the courts, claiming that female temple members have been’silenced.’
“As a younger Buddhist woman myself, I believe it is crucial that we shed light on this situation and not remain silent,” Tran said. “I look up to many of these women, especially for what they have done for our community, and seeing them be so oppressed and silenced about this situation really upsets me.”
Lila Ton, a Temple participant, spoke in front of the Baton Rouge courtroom on Monday. She claims that despite their best efforts, the temple’s community was unable to get Ho out.
The plaintiffs worry that Ho would misappropriate donations made by the local community for the temple, in addition to causing a significant exodus of temple members.
The lawsuit alleges that in addition to his own sexual misbehavior, Ho broke the chastity vows of nuns and monks by allowing them to engage in sexual intercourse at the temple.
According to the plaintiffs, there is evidence against Ho, including explicit text messages and pictures that Ho sent to nuns.
Ho’s counsel contend that the court does not have the authority to determine his standing within the temple, regardless of whatever evidence that temple members may have of their bad conduct.
They have made countless accusations that, as you have heard, have nothing to do with the court, Bander said last week while speaking in front of the courtroom.
The government has no authority to choose our religious leaders, according to Tanner Woods, a co-counsel representing Bander.
Tam Bao Temple has been under Abbot Quyen Van Ho’s direction since 2003. Plaintiffs claim that his bad conduct has continued for a long time.
The Tam Bao Temple of Louisiana is situated near Baton Rouge. The temple is required by the court to hold an internal poll to decide Ho’s destiny.