Monks' image hit by sex and money scandals

19/10/2017 12:29

        Under growing pressure from
        Thailand's military government, and their own religious bodies,
        Buddhist monks have launched a fresh round of reforms in recent
        weeks to clean up temples and overhaul a religion stalked by
        scandal.
        
        Buddhism, Thailand's dominant religion, is followed by more
        than 90 percent of the population.
        
        But its image has suffered over sex scandals involving monks
        and allegations of money laundering by a former abbot of
        Thailand's biggest temple. The scandals have prompted calls for
        tighter checks on the finances of thousands of temples across
        the country that are among Thailand's popular tourist
        attractions.
        
        Since September, senior monks have issued orders to enforce
        stronger discipline for Thailand's more than 300,000 monks and
        some 40,000 temples.
        
        The orders come at a sensitive time as Thailand prepares to
        cremate the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej next week and the
        formal coronation of his only son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn,
        likely taking place at the end of the year.
        
        
        
        COMMERCIALISING RELIGION
        
        The written instructions, seen by Reuters, tell monks to
        stop asking for donations and temples to stop selling holy
        objects inside temple grounds. The instructions appear to be
        aimed at making temple finances more transparent and to counter
        criticism about the commercialisation of religion in the
        Southeast Asian nation.
        
        Other orders instruct senior monks to tightly control
        "inappropriate use of social media" by monks to prevent
        "criticism from the public."
        
        The orders were endorsed by the Sangha Supreme Council, the
        body that governs Buddhist monks in Thailand and performs a
        similar role to the Roman Catholic church's College of
        Cardinals.
        
        "These rules already existed for monks but their
        implementation may have been lax," Phra Phrom Moli, a member of
        the Sangha Supreme Council told Reuters.
        
        Many Thais believe generous donations to temples can bring
        good karma - the principle that good deeds will lead to a good
        future - something temples and monks have exploited, groups
        lobbying for reform say.
        
        Phra Phrom Moli welcomed the new orders.
        
        "We must examine ourselves, listen to the people and see
        what is and is not appropriate for the sake of the public's
        faith in the religion," he said.
        
        
        
        INVESTIGATING TEMPLES
        
        One order given in September by a group of temples in
        Thailand's northeast region asked monks to police each other and
        report any behaviour that might go against Buddhist teachings.
        
        "Please take care of any monks who are not practicing
        discipline," the order read.
        
        The junta has been trying to reform Thai Buddhism since it
        came to power in a 2014 coup.
        
        Last month, it reinstated a former senior police official,
        Pongporn Pramsaneh, as head of the National Buddhism Office, who
        soon afterward asked police to investigate temples where state
        funds were allegedly misappropriated. Reuters was unable to
        reach Pongporn for comment.
        
        Police say they are focusing on 35 temples and 29
        individuals, including five abbots and a former Buddhism chief,
        who were allegedly involved in misappropriating funds. All five
        abbots have been formally charged for abusing state authority
        and colluding to do wrong, among other charges.
        
        The government allocated 5.32 billion baht($160.77
        million)to support Buddhism last year, 4.67 billion baht of
        which was earmarked for temples and monks across the country.
        
        POWER TUSSLE
        
        Some analysts see the latest reform push as part of a power
        tussle between monks and the state ahead of the royal
        transition.
        
        "What the monkhood is doing is tightening control for the
        sake of their own legitimacy," Somrit Luechai a Buddhism scholar
        Somrit Luechai told Reuters. Thai Buddhism also needs to make
        itself relevant again, he added.
        
        "By failing to adapt and find new ways to make people
        understand the teachings of the Buddha ... they are gradually
        loosing relevance for new generations of Thais," Somrit said.
        
        Sulak Sivaraksa, a pre-eminent Buddhist scholar, agrees.
        
        For centuries, Buddhist temples were centres of education in
        Thailand but Sulak said theoretical teachings were no longer
        enough.
        
        "The education of monks needed modernisation," Sulak told
        Reuters. "The existing system is creating monks that do not
        fully understand the real world."