Students gather at Government House urging people to make merit on the occasion of Visakha Bucha Day on Monday.

Bad behaviour by monks cited as main reason behind loss of spirituality

Nearly four out of 10 people say they have lost respect for monks after reading reports about their misbehaviour, a recent survey said.

Nearly 6 per cent of the respondents said they had lost faith in Buddhism altogether.

The survey, conducted by the Family Network Foundation from May 7 to 12, covered 466 Bangkok residents. The study was conducted to see how relevant Buddhism is in Thai families today and what was people's reaction to reports on bad behaviour by monks.

"Some people say they don't want to undertake religious activities because they've lost faith in monks," Surin Kijnitchee of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation said yesterday at a press conference.

However, he said only five in 100 families would not participate in religious activities on Visakha Bucha Day, which falls on Monday this year.

The day, marking Buddha's birthday, enlightenment and nirvana, is very important in the Buddhist calendar.

Something left

"Nearly 40 per cent of Thais will give alms to monks and some 30 per cent will attend a candlelit procession on Visakha Bucha Day," Surin added.

Thung Pai Temple's abbot Phra Ajarn Dusadee Methang-guro said social problems today resulted from people's failure to follow dharma or Lord Buddha's teachings.

"When people fail to follow dharma at home, they do not know about sacrifice and sharing. They don't know how to live together," the abbot said.

The monk also said that since so many families nowadays focused on their rights, they simply forgot about their duties. The abbot said dharma taught its followers to uphold virtues like patience, compassion, mindfulness and sacrifice.

XTRA

What the young say

To mark Visakha Bucha Day, Bangkok University Research Institute conducted a survey among 1,233 youths - all of them between 13 and 25 years old. These are the findings:

>> 55.6 per cent don't know that Visakha Bucha marks Buddha's birthday, enlightenment and nirvana.

>> More than 90 per cent feel dharma is important.

>> More than 84 per cent have relied on Buddha's teachings when facing problems.

>> More than 90 per cent say they can find peace of mind in temples.

>> More than 90 per cent agree that Thai youths today have drifted away from spirituality, feeling that hanging out with friends, playing games and visiting entertainment venues are more interesting. Others say no one has urged them to go to the temple. Some say they don't have enough time.