WATCH: Shocking moment three Buddhist monks FIGHT on sacred grounds
THIS is the moment three Buddhist monks were filmed brawling on sacred grounds in front of dozens of devotees.
Buddhist monks expelled from their temple for fighting
The shocking incident quickly went viral and is said to have damaged the reputation of the otherwise calm and serene establishment.
Temple-goers in Yangzhou, a city in East China's Jiangsu Province, were reportedly stunned and left slack-jawed after the three Buddhist monks, dressed in their traditional garbs, came to blows during an argument.
The very public fracas initially involved two monks who had a verbal disagreement and began grabbing each other by the collar and throwing punches.
A short video of the fight at Ningguo Temple, a well-respected Buddhist place of worship, then shows a third monk becoming involved, hitting one of the two monks on the head with a mobile phone.
The fight took place at Ningguo Temple in China
The incident is said to have damaged the reputation of the calm and serene establishment
The angry trio had to be pulled apart by surprised devotees who could scarcely believe that three revered Buddhist monks - known for their preachings of inner peace - had chosen to let their fists do the talking.
The unbelievable footage racked up several hundred thousand views on popular social media website Sina Weibo - Chinese Twitter - and also caught the attention of devoted Buddhists around the country who called for action.
The fracas initially involved two monks who had a verbal disagreement
Master Qingchun, the current abbot of Ningguo Temple, came out after the incident and said: "Their actions went against the idea of harmony and peace in Buddhism."
The abbot decided to expel all three from the temple - a punishment which is seen as a considerable embarrassment for any Buddhist practitioner.