Empty rituals

Re: “Beliefs are no excuse to damage our health”, (ThinkBox, April 18).

I hope the authorities in the National Office of Buddhism (NOB), the monks, and the patrons of Thai temples will pay attention to the issues raised by columnist/writer Patcharawalai Sanyanusin.

Buddha’s teachings are exact. He emphasised that we should make truth our refuge. He taught against rites, rituals, and pilgrimages. Instead of cultivating mindfulness, Thai people are subjected to empty rituals, buying and selling amulets, lotteries, caged birds, and offering material things in merit-making.

The monks even engage in lofty rituals to please the spirits of the dead and promise a place in heaven. In many temples, the devotees are brainwashed and taken on a spin, ride, or trance, reincarnating into Garuda, Naga, and other creatures which have become part of the fable of Buddhism. The path to “Nibbana”, as taught by Buddha, is now filled with potholes of blind faith, empty rituals, and rampant corruption.

Ms Patcharawalai is correct that the enlightened one who taught us against rituals is now suffocated with the stench and smell of incense, candles, rotting flowers, garlands, and food. Thai monks have also become experts in botoxing rituals for those who can pay. In addition, there are scores of criminal cases against Thai Buddhist monks. There is no doubt that costly rituals, the flow of easy cash, and corruption are correlated.

Above all, the lack of education and poor training of monks is mainly responsible for distorting the teachings of Buddha and the reputation of Thailand as a Buddhist country.

KULDEEP NAGI