Buddhist monks are required to maintain celibacy as part of their monastic vows. Abstaining from sexual relations is because carnal desire is seen as a form of attachment that can be a distraction in the pursuit of spiritual awakening.
In Thailand, the majority of monks belong to the Theravada, which means "the teachings of the elders." It is the oldest school of Buddhism, with a strong orientation towards the original teachings of Buddha. For them, celibacy is an essential requirement to control impulses. Thus, they can fully focus on serving the community and achieving the state of arhat; for the monk to reach nirvana, escaping the cycle of birth and death.
This is the theory preached in the temples. But what no one expected in the Buddhist kingdom of Thailand was that politicians would have to debate whether to approve specific laws prohibiting sexual relations with Buddhist monks to help them preserve their "purity."
A huge sexual scandal involving important religious figures has sparked a major debate in the tourist country of Southeast Asia. Authorities have revealed that a woman had sexual relations with several monks, secretly filmed those encounters, and then blackmailed her lovers, who paid large sums to prevent those videos from being exposed.
The case, besides focusing on the lurid sexual matter, has also exposed another scandal that may be even bigger: the millions of donations given to temples for their preservation that end up in the hands of a few abbots. Despite their commitment to lead a life free from riches, they have managed to accumulate many millions that they later sent to the woman who extorted them.
She, Wilawan Emsawat, 35 years old, known by the nickname Miss Golf, was arrested on Tuesday at her luxurious house on the outskirts of Bangkok. She is accused of several crimes, including money laundering. Thai investigators explained that they found five phones owned by Wilawan containing thousands of videos and images showing her engaging in sexual relations with numerous monks, some of whom were wearing their saffron robes during the act.
So far, nine monks have been identified as having intimate encounters with Wilawan and then being blackmailed by her. All of them have been stripped of their robes. But the police believe there are more individuals involved.
Changes in the law... against women
Following the news, a Senate committee proposed on Thursday to amend the law to allow for the criminal prosecution of women who have sexual relations with monks. This proposal has sparked significant social outrage in a large part of public opinion, which points out the primary responsibility of the monks.
"For a long time, women have been portrayed in traditional teachings as enemies of the monks' spiritual purity. And now, when the moral decay of the clergy is evident, it is the woman who bears the consequences, while the monks are seen as victims," a column in the Bangkok Post read.
"Wilawan kept over 80,000 nude photos and sexual videos that became a weapon to blackmail the monks," investigators explained to local media. The woman had a history of involvement in a fraud scheme in a Buddhist community in 2016.
The scandal came to light after the disappearance of Phra Thep Wachirapamok, abbot of the Wat Tri Thotsathep Worawihan temple in Bangkok, who fled to Laos after unexpectedly leaving the monastery last month. When authorities began to track the missing monk, they discovered that he had been in a relationship with Wilawan, who allegedly told him she was pregnant with his child and demanded a payment of over 150,000 euros.
Authorities indicated that another implicated monk, whose identity was not disclosed, faces two charges of embezzlement of temple funds and misconduct, while investigations are ongoing. The accused admitted to lending money to Wilawan from temple funds but claimed it was to help her with a business.
Police explained that in the last three years, 385 million baht had been deposited into Wilawan's account, which is around 10 million euros. The detainee sought out high-ranking monks on social media. After the blackmail, they diverted money from their temple's coffers to her accounts. Wilawan told authorities that she had recently lost almost all of that money in online gambling.