Sangha reform: Monks getting rich off of temple donations

Monks accumulating wealth from temple donations goes against ancient Sangha rules, but govt laws to regulate & audit donations & monk wealth have sparked protests.

MONKS, MONEY & MONASTIC REFORM

Sangha crisis won't end with defrockment

21/03/2017
Abridged version of Sanitsuda Ekachai's commentary

Has the government agreed to abort the legislative effort to regulate monks' money and assets in exchange for the clergy's ruling to disrobe the fugitive Dhammakaya sect leader?

The religious committee of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) announced it would stop its study on the proposed legal amendments to regulate monks' possession of money and assets.

OPEN SECRET: SUPREME SANGHA COUNCIL SUPPORTS DHAMMAKAYA

It is an open secret that many elders in the Supreme Sangha Council (SSC) support the Dhammakaya sect despite its notorious fund-raising techniques and questionable teachings.

This is why the late Supreme Patriarch's ruling on Phra Dhammajayo's distortion of the Buddhist teachings and temple fraud was never carried out.

That is why the public views the SSC in a negative light, not to mention the elders' negligence in the face of rife temple corruption and monastic misconduct.

The NLA's decision to abort the study into making monks' financial status transparent came amid the regime's threats to defrock Phra Dhammajayo after a three-week crackdown ended empty-handed.

The defrocking threat, however, could only materialise with the clergy's approval.

MONKS ANGERED BY STUDY ON MONK'S WEALTH

But the clergy is obviously incensed by the NLA's monks' assets study.

Actually, the study is very limited in scope, focusing on the pros and cons of Judge Charan Phakdeethanakul's proposal to amend the law on monks and inheritance.

If passed into law, monks cannot inherit a huge amount of money or assets.

'MONK CANNOT PASS WEALTH TO HEIRS LAW' SPARKS MONK PROTESTS 

Nor can monks pass the wealth they accumulate from temple donations on to others as all their money and assets gained during the monkhood must become state property under the new law.

The monks' reactions were fierce.

Online protests went viral.

Monks accused the government of planning to do many things including:

1. Amend the Sangha Act to dismantle the ecclesiastic council,

2. To merge the two Buddhist universities of the rival Dhammayut and Mahanikaya sects together and...

3. Make the monkhood a lifetime vocation.

MONKS WORRIED ABOUT MONEY

Other allegations reflect the monks' tendency to fear for their pockets.

They include alleged plans to:

1. Turn "monks' income" from religious ceremonies into temple and state money,

2. To force monks to pay progressive income tax from other sources of income,

3. To prohibit monks from having bank accounts,

4. To cancel monthly stipends for senior monks, and

5. Prohibit monks from even touching money in line with the monastic code of conduct (Pali: Patimokkha).

MONKS COVET TEMPLE DONATIONS

The viral online monk protest also accused the government of aiming to take over temple donations which, it claims, amount to 300 billion baht nationwide, not to mention other valuable assets across the country.

The Dhammakaya temple is only the regime's first target while other big temples such as Wat Saket, Wat Sothorn and several more will be next, it warned.

BLAME IT ALL ON THE MUSLIMS: JUST LIKE MYANMAR MONKS

In an emotional appeal, the online protest encourages the SSC to stand up to the regime.

The online protest alleges that the NLA wants to clip Buddhist monks' wings because it is dominated by Muslims.

The implication that the Thai government has become infiltrated by Muslims is ridiculous and obviously false.

This false rhetoric plays on the same fears and hate speech and hate mongering that has become popular among monks in Myanmar in recent years.

WHO IS BEHIND THE MONK PROTEST MOVEMENT?

Who is behind these groundless accusations?

Some say it is the Dhammakaya supporters fuelling other monks' fears so they end up siding with Dhammakaya.

Other say it is the far-right monks' group backed by some elders.

No one knows for sure.

But it's certain that any efforts to regulate monks' money can powerfully unite monks across the political divide to protect their privileges.

TO DEFROCK OR NOT TO DEFROCK?

Confident the defrocking will go ahead, Paiboon Nititawan, former senator and fierce critic of the clergy and the Dhammakaya, brushed aside suggestions the NLA's decision to suspend the study on monks' money and assets is a quid pro quo for defrocking Phra Dhammajayo.

It is only an effort to stop the vicious, groundless rumours from getting out of hand because the defrocking...the elders also fear having their ecclesiastical ranks stripped, he claimed.

But will the disrobement, if it happens at all, be any good to Thai Buddhism short of structural reform of the clergy?

MONASTIC REFORM EFFORTS STILL UNDERWAY

The monks' inheritance issue may have been dropped, but there are still three more legislative efforts to reform the clergy, he said.

One is sponsored by the regime itself, the Buddhism Protection and Promotion Act, aiming primarily to weed out wayward monks.

The other two, proposed by Mr Paiboon himself, deal with monks' and temples' financial transparency and the clergy's education reform.

So don't worry, said the former chairman of the Sangha reform committee under the now- defunct National Reform Council (NRC).

END TO MONASTIC FEUDALISM ONLY WAY FORWARD

To reform the Sangha, the central control of the clergy's feudalistic, authoritarian system must end.

So must the clergy's dependence on state patronage so it learns to be responsive to people's needs.

Temple finance must also be transparent and accountable.

Key to reform is decentralisation and people's participation in temple management, money matters, and spiritual practices.

INTELLECTUAL REFORM ALSO NEEDED

The monks' education must also enable them to be open-minded, independent spiritual leaders in tune with modernity.

But the regime-sponsored bill leaves the clergy's autocratic rule intact while it enables the clergy to punish those with different interpretations of conventional Thai Buddhist teachings.

Given the clergy's record of selective judgement, it is most likely this power aims at punishing only dissent.

NEW PUNITIVE POLICIES COMING SOON

In addition, the regime-sponsored bill strengthens state patronage even more.

Apart from setting up a fund to support the clergy -- while the gigantic amount of temple donations continue to be widely abused -- the new law will also allow state interpretations of the religious teachings and empower the government to punish a wide range of behaviour that authorities deem to be disrespectful to the Buddha.

Ironically, the clergy is not so happy with this bill because it will also punish the preceptors for failing to keep their monks in line.

Monks or novices guilty of "sexual deviation" will also be jailed and/or fined.

NO MORE MONKS POCKETING DONATIONS

According to research by Asst Prof Nada Chansom of the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida), the public donates about 100-120 billion baht to the country's 37,075 temples per year.

Mr Paiboon Nititawan's legislative proposals are more ambitious.

One tries to tackle temple corruption by:

1. Making temple donations transparent through professional auditing,

2. Public declarations of monks' money and assets, and

3. The barring of monks' taking temple donations as personal money.

AUDIT TEMPLE DONATIONS

Most temples' accounting systems are disorganised and prone to corruption.

The clergy did order temples to audit donations with oversight from a temple committee.

Thanks to lax enforcement and a culture of impunity, most temples simply ignore that order.

A mere primary study of monks and inheritance by the NLA has already faced a quick death from the monks' fury.

Imagine the clergy's wrath if this temple donations transparency proposal materialises.

MONASTIC EDUCATIONAL REFORM

Mr Paiboon's other legislative proposal deals with monks' education which now stresses rote learning and overlooks spiritual training.

Despite the good intention, this is again very much a top-down effort. Any proposals also remain as that: mere proposals.

Like the regime's bill, it also fails to touch the feudal structure and dependence mentality which is the crux of the problem.

CUT STATE'S UMBILICAL CORD WITH CLERGY

It's crucial to make temple donations transparent and accountable. But it's not enough. The best way toward Sangha reform is to cut the state's umbilical cord with the clergy. It is also most difficult as the weak clergy needs state support to keep old privileges while the state needs political support from the clergy.

What lies ahead is more of the same down the road as more and more lay Buddhists lose hope for change and seek alternative religious channels that better meet their needs.

Sanitsuda Ekachai is former editorial pages editor, Bangkok Post.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1218477/sangha-crisis-wont-end-with-defrockment

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/advanced/873584/time-to-fix-sangha-act

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/advanced/1041794/fugitive-monk-nen-kham-arrested-in-us

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