buddhist country club

A Malaysian meditation center built with public funds may have turned itself into an exclusive country club. The StarOnline reports that “accusations have surfaced that the ‘meditation centre’ in a Kajang neighborhood has been operating like a country club—open only to its estimated 30 members.” One heartbroken volunteer complained, “We started it from scratch. Devotees helped to collect donations to buy the land for the center.” Many of them have been asking that the center reopen to the public, but for now, the temple remains closed to non-members. Several monks remain at the leafy getaway (after a squabble several others left), and one who would not give his name cryptically remarked, “We have our own things to do here.” Golf?