Buddhist Monk's Bag Stolen and Recovered in Manhattan

March 31, 2004

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/31/nyregion/31ABOU.html?ex=1081400400&en=74138e2c394bab4c&ei=5040&partner=MOREOVER

On March 31, 2004 The New York Times ran a feature article on a Buddhist monk whose stolen bag was recovered in Manhattan: "The stolen bag did not contain much in the way of material value. But its sudden absence greatly distressed the Buddhist monk who had been victimized, and so the police were summoned to the scene of the crime: a Starbucks at the opulent Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. A police officer in a softball jacket sat down to take the statement of the tall man in a brown robe, whose decaffeinated coffee, no milk, was turning cold. Routine questions elicited complicated answers. For example, the victim's name was Venerable Kassapa, but Venerable is a term of respect, not a first name. 'I'm a Buddhist monk," the robed man confided. "In case you're wondering.' 'I knew,' the police officer said gently. 'I've been around.' This is a simple tale that is not so simple, about a monk, a theft and New-York style redemption."

See also: Buddhism