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The abbot of a Buddhist temple in Louisiana is embroiled in a civil suit after temple members accused him of impregnating a nun then shipping her back to Vietnam when a local abortion clinic denied her because the pregnancy was too far along.
Some members of the Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge alleged Abbot Quyen Van Ho – whose religious name is Thich Dao Quang – has repeatedly recruited Buddhist nuns from Vietnam and then had inappropriate sexual relations with them.
The suit said Ho had caused irreparable damage to the temple by ‘violating his vows of Buddhism, including his vow of celibacy,’ and called for his removal from the temple.
‘Quyen Van Ho’s immoral actions have caused all monks, nuns, and novices (except Quyen Van Ho himself and one other monk) to leave Tam Bao Temple. Because of this, membership has decreased and therefore the ability to raise funds by members of the temple has decreased,’ the suit read, according to The Advocate.
Ho denied all allegations against him, and his attorney, Yigal Bander, called them ‘defamatory lies’ and argued they do not even belong in a court of law.
‘The courts are not there to decide who’s a good pastor, whether a pastor should be hired or fired, whether a pastor is doing his faith credit or not,’ said Bander.
It is unclear whether the court will rule on the suit as it toes the line of First Amendment protections which prohibit the government from interfering in the free exercise of religion.
In the meantime, the court has ordered both sides to negotiate and hold a leadership election within the temple which could result in Ho’s removal.
Abbot Quyen Van Ho, leader of the Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge was accused of recruiting Buddhist nuns from Vietnam and then having sex with them
Abbot Quyen Van Ho with his defense attorneys, Yigal Bander (left) and Tanner Woods (right) outside a Baton Rouge courthouse this week
Ho has lead the Tam Bao Temple since 2003, and plaintiffs allege his behavior went on for years before the suit was first filed in April.
Plaintiffs Phuong Le, Lan Tran, Lien Ta, and Elizabeth Le said they first confronted Ho about the allegations in 2020, but that their efforts to have him removed have gone nowhere.
‘We’ve tried so many avenues to grant him forgiveness, and it’s just time that the court to step,’ said temple member Lila Ton outside a Baton Rouge courthouse in this week.
Another temple member, Mya Tran, also spoke outside the courthouse and said female members of the temple have been ‘silenced.’
‘I think it is really important for us to shed light on this situation and not be silent, especially as a younger Buddhist woman myself,’ Tran said, ‘I look up to a lot of these women, especially for what they have done for our community, and seeing them be so oppressed and silenced on this situation really upset me.’
Temple member Lila Ton speaking outside a Baton Rouge courthouse this week. She says the temple community has tried to remove Ho but been silenced
In addition to causing temple members to leave en masse, plaintiffs said they fear Ho could misappropriate temple funds donated by community members.
In addition to his own sexual misconduct, the suit alleges Ho has allowed sexual relationships between monks and nuns at the temple and disregarded celibacy vows.
The plaintiffs said they have evidence against Ho, including lewd text messages and nude photographs sent between Ho and nuns.
No matter what evidence of bad Buddhist behavior temple members may have, Ho’s attorneys maintain the court’s have no business deciding his fate within the temple.
‘They have made a lot of allegations, which as you heard, are not any of the court’s business,’ said Bander outside the courthouse this week.
‘The government doesn’t get to pick who our religious leaders are,’ said Bander’s co-counsel, Tanner Woods.
Abbot Quyen Van Ho has lead the Tam Bao Temple since 2003. Plaintiffs allege his misconduct has gone on for years
The Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The court has ordered that the temple hold an internal leadership election to decide Ho’s fate