A recent sex scandal involving Thai Buddhist monks has sparked widespread outrage and soul-searching within the community. Thai police arrested a woman accused of having illicit relationships with at least 11 monks, violating their vows of celibacy, and then blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos. The monks allegedly paid nearly $12 million, funneled out of their monasteries funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation.
The scandal has provoked concern over hypocrisy in the monkhood and the role of religion in society. “I’m not involved in the religion like I used to be,” said 33-year-old motorbike taxi driver Mongkol Sudathip. “I don’t have full respect for it anymore.” The incident has also led to calls for tighter regulations within the monkhood, including mandatory donation disclosures and laws treating monk misconduct as a criminal offense.
The woman at the center of the scandal reportedly developed a “splurging attitude” as her monk lovers lavished her with shopping trips worth up to $90,000 a day. In response to the scandal, King Maha Vajiralongkorn has cancelled invitations to more than 80 monks who were due to attend his upcoming 73rd birthday celebrations, citing “inappropriate behavior that caused mental distress among the Thai people”.
Buddhism scholar Danai Preechapermprasit said repeated scandals, especially among senior monks, have “shaken people to the core.” “People question whether donations are used for spiritual significance or personal desire,” he said. National police chief Kitrat Panphet emphasized that “this case does not represent Buddhism as a whole. It’s about a few individuals doing wrong”.
The scandal has also sparked debate about the role of temples in Thai society. Independent Buddhism expert Jaturong Jongarsa said temples are increasingly being treated as “a garbage dump” where families send drug addicts or LGBTQ youth to be “corrected.” “Temples are no longer seen as the sacred spaces they once were,” he said. “People send their problems to the temple and hope they’ll go away”.
Despite the scandal, many Thais remain devoted to Buddhist teachings. Camphun Parimiphut, a 52-year-old security guard, said, “Buddhism is about the teachings, not the individuals who fail it.” While he now avoids giving money to monks due to corruption scandals, his devotion remains steadfast. “You can lose faith in monks,” he said. “But never lose trust in Buddhist teachings. They still teach us how to live a good life”.