Three months after the Nen Kham scandal erupted, the former jet-setting monk from Si Sa Ket is still a free man. Now defrocked and living life on the run, the fugitive Wirapol Sukphol, formerly Luang Pu Nen Kham of Wat Pah Khantidham is accused of fraud and abuse of temple donations that could amount to billions of baht. The Nen Kham temple corruption, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. A study by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) revealed Thailand's 37,075 temples receive about 100-120 billion baht in donations every year. The abbots have sole legal power to use the temple money as they see fit. Most temples do not have proper accounting systems. Nor are they subjected to outside monitoring and auditing.
This is a recipe for disaster.
There have been many policy recommendations to fix this messy system. The Nida study, for example, proposes accountancy training for monks and outside auditing from professionals. Temple committee members should also include outsiders to ensure checks and balances instead of being appointed by the abbots as things stand now.
These proposals, however, still put money matters in monks' hands which is against the Vinaya or monastic codes of conduct.
According the Vinaya, monks cannot even touch money. Allowing monks to handle money matters exposes them to great temptation leading to abuse and corruption. There is one temple in Thailand, however, which has escaped this financial and temptation trap since it was founded 81 years ago _ the Suan Mokh forest monastery in Surat Thani.
Founded by the late reformist monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, the temple's financial management has been run by a foundation called Dhammadana and its committee. This arrangement, he said, would enable monks to concentrate on spiritual practice and dhamma teaching. And to be true to the Vinaya.
In the past month, Suan Mokh has been in the news because the new abbot wants to take control of temple donations and return Suan Mokh, now an independent temple, under the feudal and autocratic control of the ecclesiastic council.
This move has triggered a public outcry because it goes against the reformist spirit of Suan Mokh and violates both monastic disciplines and the late Buddhadasa Bhikkhu's written instruction to keep monks from money matters and let an independent foundation do the work instead.
While the problems at Suan Mokh are yet to be resolved, the forest monastery offers an alternative model of temple money management for the rest of the country. It is a model that tells monks that temples are not their personal fiefdoms but belong to the people _ the community.
Following the public outcry, the abbot has also agreed to stop temple development plans which will affect the natural surroundings of the forest monastery. This is a message to temples elsewhere that they cannot follow their whims without listening to the people.
The late Buddhadasa Bhikkhu and monks under his school of thought have won nationwide respect because they are committed to spiritual practice and free themselves from money traps.
If the clergy wants to turn the tide against declining trust and faith, follow the Suan Mokh model. Concentrate on spiritual practice. Let independent and transparent foundations run temple finances. If not, temple corruption will never end.