How to distinguish between a real and fake monk

The horrifying attack on Yangon last night was led by children and criminals injected with morphine, and then given weapons, poison, and fuel. But also included in this attack were fake monks, who were likely men shaven and given robes, and who could more easily escape detection when entering neighborhoods.

Buddhist monks are highly revered in Burmese society, as they are required to follow a noble discipline of 227 precepts and thereby deserving of deference and respect. The social contract between monastic and lay society was set down 2,500 years ago by the Buddha, with monks providing spiritual guidance to lay people and in return, receiving sustenance and basic necessities in return. This was a brilliant method for the teachings to be passed down and preserved for generations, as the spiritual aspirants could by its very design never be very far from lay society. So also, merely by wearing the robes, it was an immediate sign to all others, even strangers who had never met, that one was committed to following the discipline of the Buddha and therefore worthy of respect and support.

Thus, by placing imposters in robes, the harm extends far more than the physical danger posed that night. There is an added element of spiritual harm as it damages the immediate respect and reverence that lays should feel when encountering monks. This damage is already being seen. Being shared among Burmese now across social media is a list of 5 points, prepared by “real” monks, that indicate how lay people can differentiate between the actual aspirants and the fakes. Translated, it reads as follows:

1. Real Burmese monks wear their robes properly, and they often go together in groups. Fake monks do not know how to properly wear the robes, and they are often on their own.

2. Most real monks have an official monk ID card, but the fake monks don’t.

3. The real monk can give Dhamma discourse recite suttas, but the fake monk cannot.

4. The color of the head and face are similar for a real monk due to frequent shaving, but the colors of these two for the fake monk will be different.

5. The right shoulder of the real monk is darker than the left one, because the left shoulder is covered by the robe most of the time. The fake monk’s shoulders color will be the same color.