Mr. Minh Tue (birth name Le Anh Tu, residing in village 6, Ia To commune, Ia Grai district, Gia Lai province) has just sent a petition to the authorities about not gathering in large crowds and spreading his personal images on social networks.
Recently, many videos have appeared on social media, recording images of Mr. Minh Tue begging for alms, with people following him to protect him, and people lining up on both sides of the road. Mr. Minh Tue repeatedly told those following him that such a large gathering was very disorderly and affected his practice.
But many people still follow, some Youtubers try to exploit his image for the purpose of making money.
From the video clips on social media, Buddhists, TikTokers, YouTubers and curious people came and gathered in large numbers to approach Mr. Minh Tue. If someone had respect or admiration for Mr. Minh Tue, it would be fine, but surrounding him in such a large number that it caused disorder in the locality and obstructed traffic was not appropriate.
Not to mention, many people come to the place where Mr. Minh Tue used to live, bow and pray. Many people greet him on the street, touch him as a way to receive blessings. That is delusion, ignorance and even more alien to religious belief.
Meanwhile, Mr. Minh Tue himself affirmed that he is not a monk, Buddha or god. He said that he is just a citizen who is learning according to the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni and hopes that everyone will create conditions for him to study well.
Everyone has the right to practice according to Buddhist teachings. Mr. Minh Tue practices "13 ascetic practices according to Buddha's teachings" as his personal wish. Let him practice, don't disturb him anymore.
In the newly published letter, Mr. Minh Tue announced that he would stop going on alms round as a way to prevent people from gathering to follow him. Because he did not need people to protect him when he went on alms round, nor did he need people standing on both sides of the road to welcome him and shout loudly, which was not in accordance with the Dharma. He would temporarily stop going on alms round, and only continue when there were no more people gathering on both sides of the road.
This is a very correct decision, so everyone needs to respect it.
When Mr. Minh Tue stops begging for alms, people should not come to his hermitage to film or take pictures, nor should they bow down and ask for blessings. Do not be confused anymore.
