The hard part is following in the founder's footsteps

The Lord Buddha had it all and gave it all away. Many Buddhist monks, on the other hand, have nothing and come to want everything. Their path to nirvana is up a very steep hill with attractions, distractions and temptation every step of the way.

It therefore comes as no surprise that Thai Buddhist monks are constantly in the news for all the wrong reasons. The latest scandals feature monks owning expensive cars, falling in love, riding on a private jet and in possession of brandname accessories. This is nothing new, actually. Misbehaving monks, whether they are senior or junior, are as common as cops taking bribes. Whenever investigative reporters feel like doing such a story, they are bound to discover something.

We can blame the monks, but we must not forget to scold ourselves every time we feel the urge to make a “poor” monk’s life a little more comfortable, or become embarrassed when our offerings of food do not look as elegant or delicious as a neighbour’s. It takes two to tango.

The fast developments in the layman’s world don’t help either. When people say Buddhist monks should embrace technology, they often forget to say how. Of course, monks probably should carry computer tablets or smartphones so they can do research on spirituality online, or tweet “sermons” to disciples, but would that be like giving an iPad to a boy and hope that he doesn’t spend too much time playing games? This question, no matter how insulting it may sound, is legitimate where Thailand’s ecclesiastic community is concerned.

There are more lines to cross in religion than in normal life. Once stepped over, those lines are gone forever. For Buddhist monks, it may start with a tiny little alms offering that is not necessary for their daily life. Then the alms offerings become genuine gifts, and then the gifts get bigger, like a Mercedes or a trip to Europe.

You can’t expect monks to go on “pilgrimage” to France by foot, one may argue. And if revered monks are given a red-carpet welcome by organisers of religious events, critics should understand that the world has drastically changed from the Lord Buddha’s day. These arguments are supposed to be founded on pragmatism, but in fact they contain a gaping hole because they run counter to Buddhism’s core essence.

Buddhist monks are required to detach themselves from materialism. If they can use computer notebooks to preach awareness that what we think we own, we actually do not, then that is fine. What’s happening, however, is that notebooks, computer tablets and smartphones have spoiled many monks, bringing them ever closer to the layman’s world. These gadgets have not become something that can “help” monks, but something that they – like everyone else – “must” have. The same goes for other luxuries such as high-end stereos, designer travel bags and big cars.

Alarmed Buddhists are calling for a revamp. With the “fortress” broken down to almost non-existence, how can we defend our monks against increasingly prevalent temptation? In other words, society and the monastic establishment are in this together, so changes must be wholesale. We can’t expect things to improve by just, say, subjecting men who want to be ordained to tougher scrutiny.

Attachment is Buddhism’s great enemy. What society has done is help the enemy infiltrate and threaten to consume the religion. It’s a conspiracy that started in an arguably innocent manner but has become menacing. Wayward monks are deplorable, but they are by no means the root cause of the problem.

Technology is making it harder to reinforce the “fortress”. Do monks need to have smartphones or computer tablets? Some say they do, at least because they should get to know the tools that would otherwise be monopolised by the devil. Problem is, the monks are being exposed with their bare-bones immunity ready to crack.

When just about everyone has a mobile phone by their side around the clock, is it possible to think that monks don’t need to do the same? Buddhism is said to be a compromising religion, so a middle-path answer must be there. The trick is how to stick to the middle path without having to expand it. 

It doesn’t matter if a monk who is the headline of the hour is a conman. The genuine practice of Buddhism wouldn’t have let him get started. He managed to stay on because once we condone an electronic gadget, what’s wrong with a luxury car? And then if a luxury car is acceptable, what’s wrong with a private jet?

The Lord Buddha was heading one way and our monks the other. His was a simple and easy path because he had experienced it all and known full well what materialism and vanity did to the quest for spirituality. One can have the same goal as his, but one can’t attain that goal by taking a reverse journey.