Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Good Monk...Bad Monk

I consider myself to be a hybrid cross between a Buddhist and a Christian...hand-picking ideologies of both beliefs and converting them into a philosophy that works for me. Before making Thailand my new home, I had a rather naive viewpoint of Buddhist monkhood...thinking monks to be beyond reproach.

The image of men wearing orange robes and sandals, with shaved heads and eyebrows, who solemnly devote their lives to the ways of Theravada Buddhism; men who wake up early to live a meek lifestyle by receiving offerings from the community, has been shattered by the reality that they are just like everyone else...prone to temptation and sometimes live lives that contradict the ways of Buddha.

Of course, I shouldn't have been surprised when Nada told me (on one of our visits to a particular temple), that they (the temple) were very rich. She quietly whispered, so that no one but me could hear, that they were also corrupt. Money, it seems, is the root of all evil...not just within most organised religions, but also within the monkhood.

When we got home, Nada showed me YouTube videos of monks driving expensive Mercedes Benz cars and being caught out 'boom-booming' not just single ladies, but married ones as well. Thinking back to the temple visit, it became obvious why there were so many boxes for donations located almost everywhere on the grounds. It was just as organised as any church fare you might see in the West...selling all manner of foods, drinks and associated paraphernalia. Upon reflection, the place wreaked of greed...and the only reason Nada even went was because I had seen the temple in my Google search and wanted to check it out.

Not all temples are like this...in fact, very few are. Most temples support humble monks who live per their beliefs. But it does go to show that no matter what belief system people follow, it is human nature to be tempted by wealth and power no matter what country they live in.