Are our neighbors going down the path of Malaysia? I was reading a news article in the Bangkok Post, April 7 where it was quoted that the concern that if Buddhism is not adopted as the official religion it "will entail grave consequences because Buddhism can be overtaken by other aggressive religions if the state authorities will not provide sufficient protection". This remark is sending a chill down my spine, especially after a recent highlight of religious issues here in Malaysia and the Al-Jazeera program on apostasy. I pray Thailand do not walk this path.
In the Buddha's teaching, the Buddha constantly reminds us about the danger of me, mine and the attachment to the self as a cause of dukkha. I think this is situation is exactly the opposite of what the Buddha teaches. Some monks have claimed ownership to say Buddhism in Thailand is theirs and will vow to fight to protect it.
The article further remarked that According to supporters, the national religion clause is only a matter of recognizing social reality because most people in Thailand are Buddhists while the national culture and history are closely intertwined with Buddhism. Besides, the King is constitutionally required to be Buddhist.
According to the same article, the military has already expressed support for the Sangha's moves. The parliamentary committee on religion has also turned the clergy's demand into its own proposal to the Constitution Drafting Committee, thus making the Sangha's petition officially in the legislative pipeline.
It also quoted that the Sangha sent a troop of monks to the sacred Bodhgaya pilgrimage site in India, to take a fighting vow. There they publicly declared that the Sangha would lead a nationwide boycott against the draft constitution if Buddhism is not institutionalised as the national religion.
In another article, it seems that there are sensible people who feel that it is more important to understand why youths are turning their backs on Buddhism. They too felt that the sensitivity is needed especially in light of the seemingly endless violence in the deep South, where the gap of mistrust between Muslims and Buddhists remains as wide as ever, and any move to nationalise Buddhism could easily be exploited by the Islamic extremists to further widen the divide.Phra Paisan, a respected and socially-engaged Buddhist monks in Thailand questioned the Sangha's motive and gives a very poignant perspective. I feel that his article is a stark reminder to the Buddhism to look inward to solve our problems and not to look outside to the Government to solve the problem of social problems and the decline of Buddhism.
Hence, I cannot agree more that Buddhism is a religion of peace and compassion. Which explains why Buddhism and other religious faiths have, for centuries, co-existed in peace and harmony in Thailand. To mix Buddhism with nationalism is a dangerous gamble which does not bode well for multi-religious harmony in the long term.
Links to this article:
Clamoring of a national religion (By Sanitsuda Ekachai, Bangkok Post, April 7, 2007)
Thailand: Keep religion out of charter (The Bangkok Post, April 7, 2007)
Thailand: Not in need of 'status crutch' (By PHRA PAISAN VISALO, Bangkok Post, April 19, 2007)
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