Is it possible to attend church services, yet be a devout Buddhist? My own answer is "Yes", but whether that constitutes a sin to the purists is another thing.
I spent my formative primary years in an Anglo-Chinese boarding school with strong ties to the Protestant church. We would sing hymns at assembly every morning, attend chapel before dinner and go to Sunday School every Sunday morning. I was thrilled to bits when I was chosen as one of two young children to be in the church choir, and felt so proud wearing my red and white choir dress. Christianity is a very consumer-friendly religion and you feel you have direct connections with God through prayer.
Yet growing up back in Thailand, I became aware of the strength of Buddhism despite the fact that it is very much a lonely and personal journey. Your communication line with Buddha is not as straightforward, with Pali being the language of communication. It's probably why people go more for the frills that are linked with Buddhism rather than the essence.
Both religions aim to teach human beings to lead morally responsible lives and lift them to a higher spiritual realm. That sounds simple enough, yet is so vague and intangible, that most people are unable to grasp the essence of "morality" or "higher spirituality". And when our spiritual leaders hardly act as role models for us, then things get a bit sticky.
To me, Buddhism is a philosophy that provides spiritual guidance to end the cycle of life. Yet the thought of a past or future reincarnation is sometimes beyond the scope of our imagination when we grapple on a daily basis with work, feeding the kids, getting through the traffic or harvesting rice when your paddy field is flooded. Sometimes all you can do is keep your fingers crossed, and perhaps bribe the gods for a lucky lottery ticket, promising a pig's head offering if you win.
Making merit might not give you instant gratification, but if the monk at the local temple is willing to divulge some lucky numbers, or conjure up some magical, mystical talismans (often at a price), then who's to complain? Everyone is looking for a shortcut, an easy way to achieve our desires and attain worldly happiness. It's much too hard to detach yourself from the whirlwind of everyday life, refrain from all emotions and desires, and attempt to move into the realm of spiritual awakening.
That's where monkhood steps in... theoretically.
Monkhood is supposed to provide mankind with a sanctuary from the chaos of everyday life, and provide a peaceful and conducive environment to meditate for spiritual cleansing, while offering laymen a chance to improve their lot by making merit.
So what do we do when so many monks are mired in materialism? I know one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch, but there seems to be a slew of bad apples. Admittedly the monkhood makes it quite easy for men to take advantage of their revered status. What does it take to become a monk? All you have to do is abandon your worldly possessions, and answer the following questions during the ordination ceremony - "No" for the first five, and "Yes" for the rest:
Do you have leprosy?
Do you have boils?
Do you have eczema?
Do you have tuberculosis?
Do you have epilepsy?
Are you a human being? (During Buddha's lifetime, it is said a Naga serpent disguised himself as a man in an attempt to be ordained. To honour his good intentions, the Buddha named all pre-ordination candidates Naga.)
Are you a man?
Are you a free man?
Are you free from debts?
Are you free from government service?
Do you have your parents' permission?
Are you at least 20 years of age?
Do you have your bowl and your robes?
From that moment on, you are on your way to the discovery of Truth and Enlightenment _ if you are so inclined and disciplined. Many are. But many more prefer to take advantage of the perks of monkhood _ free bed and board plus a regular tax-free income (in the form of donations from lay followers).
And if you happen to have a prefix like luangta and a penchant for a bit of the supernatural, for make-rich spells or love potions, then you may be on the receiving end of private jets and helicopters emblazoned with your image, luxury cars, designer luggage, Ray-Bans and iPods to while away your time on long flights to France.
In that particular case, which has been making the headlines, the clergy cannot intervene, because the forest temple in question is not an officially registered temple.
Police do not want to intervene, because it's not against the law to have your image on a helicopter.
Donors feel they are gaining more merit if they give the best service to revered monks. A satirical animation clip has been making the rounds on global networks, and the Thai authorities are threatening to sue for libel.
So where does this cycle end?
Usnisa Sukhsvasti is the features editor of the Bangkok Post.