Inside the sex scandal rocking Thai Buddhism
The vow of celibacy that every Thai monk makes upon entering the Sangha is founded on the Buddha's observation over 2,500 years ago that sexual attachments block the path to enlightenment. Yet not all monks who have pledged to follow this path manage to resist sexual temptation to the end.
Those caught breaking their vow are defrocked and permanently barred from the monkhood. They are also branded by fellow Thais as “Samee”, or disgraced monks.
The Thai Sangha has survived numerous Samee scandals over the years.
However, few have rocked public faith in the revered institution as much as the latest lurid revelations emerging from behind temple doors.
The scandal broke when a woman, identified only as Golf, admitted to having amorous relations with eight senior monks, including Phra Thepvachirathiraporn, abbot of the iconic Wat Phra Phutthachai, who was forced to disrobe.
News of the affairs came only weeks after Wat Rai Khing’s once-revered 70-year-old abbot, Phra Dharma Wachiranuwat, was defrocked in mid-May after he was accused of siphoning temple funds to a woman he had online sex calls with.
History of monks’ romances
Thailand's main religion is Theravada Buddhism, which emphasises strict adherence to the original codes of conduct laid out by the Buddha. Yet romances between Thai monks and women have been recorded for centuries.
German explorer Engelbert Kampfer, visiting Ayutthaya in 1685, mentioned a case where a monk was caught having illicit sex with a nun. The case prompted King Narai the Great to ban nunneries from being sited close to temples, with existing ones relocated.
Another huge scandal erupted in 1854 when a woman known as “Peng” was accused of seducing several monks at Wat Pho in Bangkok.
The equally iconic Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) was tainted soon after, when a monk there was caught having sex with a woman in his living quarters on the royal monastery compound.
King Mongkut (Rama IV) was so upset by the scandals that he encouraged the public to alert authorities if they noticed monks behaving inappropriately with women.
Clear guidelines have long been in place to discourage intimacy that would leave Thai monks prey to temptation. These include the rule against monks meeting with women alone.
Even matchmakers have been targeted.
Under a law passed during Rama IV’s reign, those caught arranging romantic trysts between monks and women were penalised by having to find food for elephants. Meanwhile anyone who failed to notify authorities of suspicious relations between monks and women also faced legal punishment.
Rama IV was a keen proponent of monastic discipline during the decades he spent as a monk before ascending the throne, believing Buddhism should repudiate worldly matters and confine itself to spiritual and moral affairs.
'Beware of these signs'
Booncherd Kittitarangkoon, deputy director of the National Office of Buddhism, has advised monks to beware of attractive women who approach them to offer alms or appreciation.
“Also, watch out for those who present themselves as your adoptive daughters or followers with the intention of accompanying you everywhere,” he said.
Booncherd added that these relationships can start with innocent conversations about religion and general affairs but escalate to private video calls if monks lower their guard.
“Women may try to talk with you often to foster trust and become confidants,” he warned, “They may also claim to have been married to you in a previous life.”
Predatory women tend to flaunt valuables to fool monks into believing they are wealthy and thus have nothing to gain from a relationship, he added.
But their next step is often to lure monks with offers of sexual relations, either online or in the flesh.
“If they make such suggestions, cut off contact immediately,” he said. “At this stage, it should be clear that their intentions are not pure.”
Booncherd also reminded monks of the Buddha’s advice: Avoid seeing or talking to women, but if that’s unavoidable, talk with mindfulness and propriety.