Bangkok: Nida Poll reveals survey results on "Buddhist crisis", finding most people view some monks as incapable of disconnecting from the world, leading to scandals that reduce faith.
According to Thai News Agency, the survey asked the public's opinion on the causes of the current problems facing Buddhism. It was discovered that 76.11 percent of respondents felt that some monks are unable to detach from worldly matters, leading to frequent scandals such as drug use, alcohol consumption, gambling, and inappropriate relations with laywomen. Additionally, 45.95 percent of respondents cited that some monks are preoccupied with wealth, status, praise, and monastic positions, while 45.80 percent pointed to an obsession with materialism or consumerism among monks. Furthermore, 40.00 percent indicated that some monks enter the monastic life seeing it as a career path to generate income, and 29.16 percent noted the commercialization of temples.
The survey also highlighted other concerns, with 27.63 percent mentioning non-transparent property management in temples, and 25.42 percent criticizing the inefficiency of Buddhist oversight organizations. A total of 23.74 percent felt that some monks do not adhere to the principles of Dhamma and exhibit aggressive behavior. Meanwhile, 16.72 percent blamed the influence of relatives or disciples who lead monks to behave contrary to Dhamma principles, contributing to regular scandals. Another 13.59 percent pointed to self-absorption and exaggerated claims of supernatural powers among monks.
Regarding temple practices, 11.60 percent of respondents were critical of temples encouraging excessive merit-making. A smaller proportion, 8.32 percent, observed that some monks distort Buddhist teachings, while 7.79 percent noted an overemphasis on black magic rituals. Political involvement by monks was a concern for 1.68 percent of respondents, whereas 0.46 percent saw no issues with Buddhism today.
In terms of faith, the scandals involving monks have impacted public perception, with 58.40 percent of respondents indicating a decrease in faith in monks, and 41.60 percent reporting no change. As for Buddhism as a whole, 68.55 percent said their faith remained unchanged, while 31.45 percent noted a decline.
The survey also gauged public opinion on a draft bill promoting Buddhism, which includes penalties for inappropriate behavior by monks and laypeople. Notably, 80.76 percent of respondents strongly agreed with penalizing monks who commit serious offenses, while 13.59 percent somewhat agreed. In cases of sexual misconduct involving monks, 17 percent strongly agreed with penalties, and 15.03 percent somewhat agreed. For boasting of supernatural powers, 63 percent strongly agreed with penalties, with 17.56 percent somewhat agreeing. Furthermore, 35 percent strongly supported penalties for those who ridicule or insult Buddhism, while 44 percent strongly agreed on penalties for baseless accusations of monk dishonesty.