The shame of the saffron scandal

The shame of the saffron scandal

The sign on this donation box says that the money will be used to build monasteries. Donation boxes are found at all temples in Thailand. (Bangkok Post file photo)
The sign on this donation box says that the money will be used to build monasteries. Donation boxes are found at all temples in Thailand. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Millions of faithful Buddhists including myself have always believed that the donations we give on our birthday or special religious occasions will be used wisely to uphold 2559 years of religious authenticity. But our faith has been shaken by the practices of some monks who are soiling the saffron robe.

In 2013, for example, we were shocked by images of a Thai monk riding a private jet while wearing aviator sunglasses and carrying a Louis Vuitton bag. The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) froze his assets as it investigated fraud allegations. Sixteen bank accounts held by the monk and his associates recorded daily transactions as high as 200 million baht. He's in California now, looking for a new flock to bilk.

The only source of income for temples is usually donations from the faithful, and I believe my own contributions have not fallen into the wrong hands, although who can ever know?

For the nearly 40,000 temples in the country, the amount of donations circulating in the system is impossible to measure. Some temples, regrettably, have turned to "commercial Buddhism", in which faith is exploited to make money.

Religious institutions pay no taxes and are not subject to the normal checks and balances that apply to other activities. It's a loophole that faithful Buddhists dare not question.

We as donors have always thought our support helps cover basics such as temple maintenance and electricity, but it's an ugly truth that we will never get the answers as long as we let faith overwhelm reason.

Some spiritual leaders, not to mention fortune tellers, prosper beyond belief as a result. They earn millions and even billions of baht as they build their empires. The case of Wat Dhammakaya and its abbot Phra Dhammajayo is an alarming wake-up call for all Buddhists to start questioning the morality of those we revere.

Phra Dhammajayo stands accused of money laundering and has defied attempts to arrest him. There is a growing public belief that he should not be above the law but his followers, many of them very rich and influential themselves, see him as a victim of religious persecution. But the longer the Dhammakaya soap opera drags on, the more damage it does to confidence in our religious institutions.

There are thousands of good monks who work hard to help poor communities and adhere to Buddhist precepts to forsake material desires. Their temples need financial support to continue their work, and it would be a tragedy if donations dried up because people have grown tired of being deceived by a few jet-setting holy men.

Such abuses are not unique to Thailand. Temples are among the richest institutions in Myanmar, and I doubt many people there have ever questioned the handling of the money.

India too is home to many "godmen", some of whom have acquired billions in assets. Baba Ramdev, for example, started out as a nobody on the streets of the holy city of Haridawar. His talent for teaching yoga and promoting a dream of spiritual enlightenment has brought him millions of followers. His companies generate close to US$1 billion in annual sales, not to mention donated assets that are not taxed. Along the way, he has faced investigations into scandals ranging from labour law violations to animal parts trading.

That brings us to the latest outrage in Thailand, the confirmation after years of rumours of a thriving trade in animal parts at the Tiger Temple, a tourist magnet in Kanchanaburi. Who hasn't been sickened by the images of dead tiger cubs stuffed in a freezer, and amulets made from tiger parts, allegedly peddled by enterprising monks? It's enough to shake the faith of anyone, and some may choose to give up on Buddhism.

In my view, what one chooses to believe is a matter of choice. For me, Buddhism remains a beautiful thing that can help put my mind at peace in troubled times, and maybe even make me a better person. And I can be a good Buddhist without going to a temple.

Perhaps it's time to draw a line between faith and the physical institutions built to serve it. Temples that accept donations should open their books for the public to see, if only to restore their confidence.

Some may disagree, but now may be the right time to demand changes in the way religious institutions operate if they want to remain relevant.


Readers can send their feedback or comments to umeshp@bangkokpost.co.th

Wanant Kerdchuen

Asia Focus Contributor

Asia Focus Writer

Email : wanantk@bangkokpost.co.th

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (5)