Monk In Suit

Puss in boots is just a fable but Monk in Suit is very much a reality. Ven. Dhammaratana, the abbot of Kuala Lumpur's Brickfields Temple, upon being conferred  the respected title Datuk by the Malaysian king, donned a suit when accepting the title(inset). The Young Buddhists Association of Malaysia (YBAM), reportedly was deeply saddened by the incident while a layperson Siriminda was duly disturbed and horrified. Personally, I have heard of the late Australian monk, Rev. Abhinyana confessing in one of his sermons that he donned a layman attire when visiting Gallipoli. Ajahn Sujato, in the Buddhist Channel, wrote that a German monk, Ven. Nyanaponika wore a brown suit when he returned to Germany because Buddhist robes were unknown in his country. The former also found the emotional reaction of the Malaysian Buddhists strange. According to him, the regulatory framework for the sangha, the Vinaya, states that monks wearing lay clothes is just a minor offence but then it should be a non-issue since a monk donning a suit is not immoral and harms no one. He pointed out that there are real, genuine moral issues that pass by without Buddhists blinking an eye. That aside, I suppose some laypersons would however still be left wondering: What does a Buddhist monk who is supposed to give up the mundane world want with a Datukship? Would it now be more appropriate to address the abbot of Kuala Lumpur's Brickfield Temple, Datuk or Venerable or Datuk Ven. Dhammaratana?