In the name of religion

In the name of religion

Today, a movie called Arbat, the Thai word for offences carried out by monks, with varying degrees of offensiveness and punishment, was set to be released. Although it deals with a subject matter that most of us in Thailand can relate to, it has been banned by the film censorship committee since it explicitly revolves around monks who break chastity vows and take drugs.

The people and monks who were responsible for banning the movie reasoned that it would stigmatise Buddhism, while the filmmakers said that the movie aimed at promoting it, which seems justifiable as the trailers depicted how the characters go through consequences for their wrongdoings. However, since we have not watched the movie, we are unsure about its message.

If the movie talks about the good sides of religion, then it's good and healthy for Buddhist audiences. But if it talks about the bad sides, then it should be regarded as brave by being audacious enough to portray reality in this Buddhist country.

I, myself, was ordained at 21, with my head and eyebrows shaved by a cheap blade, muffled in an iridescent saffron robe, barefoot, no underwear, and eating food that was given to me by people. My dad was passing away and I thought that it was the least I could do for him.

I was a monk for just six days so people gave me a look of disappointment, because they believed it is impossible for a person to gain anything from such a short monkhood. I never argued because they were right. Frankly, I counted the days for it to be over. I didn't sign up to meditate. I just wanted the merit to stand at the end of the road for my dying father. 

While it's true that I gained nothing tangible from my short stint as a monk, I always thought that it was a once-in-a-lifetime privilege to see the "behind the scenes" process. What do monks talk about in the afternoon? What do they say about the people who give them food? What do they talk about when they perform the praying service for the dead? These are the things that I got to experience.

As a monk, I tried to follow the rules as strictly as possible. But I'm also positive that I must have unwittingly done some things I shouldn't have. This made me realise that monks are also human. And because of that, some of them are always susceptible to committing arbat when they fail to adhere to the rules, just like the monks in the movie.

So, it made no sense when a celebrity monk, who was in favour of banning the movie, said that monks' ugly secrets should not be exposed when they are already beyond exposed.

But that's besides the point. It's no longer important to discuss because Arbat is just a movie, after all. Setting religion aside, the movie should not have been banned. There is a film rating system and people can choose what to watch for themselves. It's as simple as that.

People in authority have difficulty understanding this and maybe they should be likened to the mud-buried lotus flower, a flower described in a Buddhist allegory that never grows enough to get sunlight and therefore, serves as food for turtles and fish. This flower is symbolic of people with hopelessness and uselessness.

I'm not a religious, well-versed Buddhist. As a child, I only prayed in school every morning and I murmured a high-speed prayer before bed on the nights I was afraid of ghosts. I go to the temple to pray once in a blue moon and again to pay my respects when someone dies. I may have failed as a six-day monk. But isn't "living with reality" something Buddha taught us in the first place?


Duangphat Sitthipat is a feature writer of the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

Duangphat Sitthipat

Life Repoter

Duangphat Sitthipat is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

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