No Monks for Merit-Making!

In Thailand, Buddhism plays a big role in Thailand’s society. According to the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Thailand, nearly 93% of Thailand are Buddhist, so it is very common to see temples and statues pertaining the Buddhism in Thailand. According to NPR.Org, Thailand has about 300,000 monks. All Monks are to live by very strict rules. However, there have been reports of Monks not behaving in a way that is seen as appropriate for people who are to guide and teach villages who practice Buddhism. Buddhist Monks are a living symbol and connection to the Spiritual traditions of Buddhism. Following the laws of Thailand and the strict rules of being a Monk are most important to their monk communities. Buddhist practices consist of Monastic Sangha; Sangha is translated as “community”; sometimes monastics in a Monk community can be referred to as Monastic Sangha. The Monastic Sangha each has their own characteristics, however, Monks, in general, are to Practice tradition in a good way, knowledgeable, logical and proper way.

Of course, it is not uncommon because Monks receive US$3 to $3.6 million in donations a year, so the chance of illegal trafficking is at risk. That goes to show, Buddhism is not the only part of society that travelers and villagers will come face to face with; Thailand is also a major Drug trafficking area.

In June 2022 Thailand officially legalized marijuana, however, Thailand’s Sangha Supreme court ban the use and cultivation of marijuana by Buddhist Monks and Novices. The decision for the ban was made since Monks were found partaking in the recreational use of marijuana.

The rules were not followed by four monks residing in a Temple in the Bung Sam Phan subdistrict of Thailand. In November 2023, four monks tested positive for methamphetamine, which is all reality is not a huge surprise since Temples in Thailand play a major role in Drug trafficking. The four monks that were arrested were sent to a rehabilitation temple and officials of Thailand are working on sending new Monks to take over the temple of the Bung Sam Phan subdistrict.

Thailand has ranked number one in drug-related arrests and Methamphetamine seizures. In 2022 according to United Nations, 172 Tons of Methamphetamine were seized in East and South Asia, meanwhile, America only seized 30 tons in 2022. The ability to buy these drugs in bulk whether in pill form or crystal has become easier with the value of the majority having decreased to the point even those who could not afford it before now have access. The arrest of the monks leads villagers troubled because there is no one in the temple for the villagers to practice the Buddhist tradition of Merit-Making. Merit is a fundamental part of Buddhist Ethics. Merit-Making is an important Buddhist practice, it is a tradition that brings notions of purity and goodness to determine the quality of the Next-Life and contributes to a person’s growth toward enlightenment. Merit-Making is very important to Buddhists and for them, it means life after death. According to The Theory of Karma, the Buddhist belief is that one reaps what one sows, and nothing happens to a person that he/she does not deserve. which brings us back to the reason put forward by Thais themselves for merit-making: namely that individuals make merit to attain a prosperous rebirth. They believe Karma can show in many forms and doesn’t mean karma came from the present life, it could come from a past life. Therefore, Merit-making is a tradition that is utilized to purify present life which then moves forward to the next life after death as pure and clear of Karma from a past life. Without Monks, Villages cannot practice merit-making, which in the Buddhist tradition is to create the path to temporary heaven after they leave earth. Buddhist believe that karma follows you into the next life after death.

Being that traditions and practices are of the sole importance to Monks because they are the symbol of Buddhism, should Monks create a more organized strict system after such arrest? Should they allow the four monks to return to the temple once they are rehabilitated?

These are not the only Monks who partake in activities that are shameful to the Monk Community and the Buddhists who look to them for guidance.