1w ago

Monks behaving badly: the sex scandal rocking Thailand’s Buddhist clergy

www.theguardian.com

Stories of monks behaving badly are not uncommon in Thailand, but the scale of a recent scandal has sparked questions about wealth and privilege

The disappearance of a respected monk from his Buddhist temple in central Bangkok has revealed a sex scandal that has rocked Thailand, with allegations of blackmail, lavish gifts and a string of dismissals raising questions about the money and power enjoyed by the country’s orange-robed clergy.

Investigations into the whereabouts of senior monk Phra Thep Wachirapamok unexpectedly led police to a woman who the police suspect conducted intimate relationships with several senior monks, and then blackmailed them to keep the liaisons quiet.

When police searched her home this month they found mobile phones that reportedly contained tens of thousands of compromising photos and videos of the missing monk, and several other senior Buddhist figures. Police also tracked her finances, which they said showed links to temples.

8 comments

This is hardly new but note that this is just them breaking celibacy not raping or diddling kids.
In general the celibacy aspect of Buddhism is very outdated and a lot of people are being basically forced into monkhood through peer pressure so naturally celibacy is not sustainble in this fashion.
Source: been in Thailand for years
Priests and sex. At least everyone seems of age here.
So, essentially, the guys visited an escort and got the rug pulled under their feet.
Could be worse. A lot, lot, worse.
Celibacy makes no sense.
It’s so strange to hear of Clergy being the ones being taken advantage of for once
This is secondhand, half-remembered information I picked up from some stranger on Reddit probably a decade ago, so take it for what it's worth
But my understanding is that in some parts of Asia, being a monk is just sort of a thing that some young people do for a short time, and a lot of them aren't really what we'd think of as "clergy." Not sure if that's the case in Thailand or not.
It's almost more like taking a gap year to go backpacking through Europe or whatever the kids are into these days, or taking a summer job that just happens to be in a Buddhist temple and the uniform is a robe and shaved head instead of a polo shirt and khakis.
Now these seem to be involving "senior monks" so probably not just teens and 20-somethings trying to find themselves.
But I kind of have to wonder how many of those senior monks are more like that friend you had in high school who took a summer job working at a surf shop or something and just never went back to finish college and are still working there a decade or two later than they are someone who truly felt a calling towards religious service.
Joining a cult has never been about ridding yourself of human desires and needs, that's impossible. It is always about fleeing responsibility and accountability, submitting to an infallible leader/entity. Unless of course you are forced into the cult as a child, which is child abuse, and should result in immediate rehousing.
- Many monks in Thailand are peer pressured into monkhood and it's pretty hard to return to life after you've been a monk for a long time you no longer have any career skills so many are simply stuck.
My takeaway here: sensationalism. Nothing to see here.

8 comments