What The Hell Is Going On With Thai Monks These Days?

Four Buddhist monks in Thailand were all found to be using meth, and they were all sent to rehab to kick the habit. Police had raided the temple as part of the province’s plan to crack down on drugs.

As soon as their tests came back positive, they were also kicked out of the monkhood. This left their small temple without any religious leaders. A back-fill team had to be deployed to replace them, as the locals needed them to fulfill their religious requirements.

Then we have Phra Annipalo, a 34-year-old Thai monk who was high on drugs, was arrested in northern Thailand earlier this month after he allegedly stole two cars and led police on a wild chase.

Cops also found that he had been carrying a knife, cash, and ironically, his Buddhism ordination documents in a bag.

He could go to jail for up to three years for stealing the car, and he is also likely to be charged with breaking Thailand’s Narcotics Act.

Then there was the drunk monk who said he was driving drunk because “whisky can prevent COVID-19” getting arrested and kicked out of monkhood. 63-year-old Buddhist monk Phra Thanakorn was driving around asking people for money and “causing mayhem” in a market area in Thailand’s Mueang Loej district.

The police found his bronze pickup truck outside the market. The name of his Buddhist temple was written on the door, which helped them figure out who it belonged to.

So, what the hell is going on with Thai monks? Is it scaring anyone else to see the mentally strongest versions of ourselves losing their shit? Like, if they can’t handle life post-2020, how the hell are the rest of us supposed to manage?

While it’s easy to jump to conclusions, it is not accurate or appropriate to say that Thai monks, as a group, have numerous instances of being “bad.” Monks in Thailand, as in many other Buddhist countries, are highly respected members of society and are expected to follow a strict code of conduct known as the Vinaya.

This code includes rules on behavior, such as avoiding physical contact with women, abstaining from all forms of intoxicants, and refraining from engaging in inappropriate or harmful speech or actions.