A Matter of Faith.(Sangha Buddhist monks' scandals in Thailand)

Thailand's border patrol is rarely surprised by the shadowy figures it encounters along the country's northern frontier. The police frequently pick up Burmese refugees, illegal arms dealers or drug smugglers moving their contraband through this notorious stretch of the Golden Triangle. So it seemed business as usual one night in late April when police nabbed two Thais carrying methamphetamine pills back across the border. That is, until police asked the men which drug ring they worked for. "Actually, sir," one of the suspects reportedly said, "We're both monks."

The drug bust was just another embarrassing episode for what's become one of the most embattled pillars of Thai society, its Buddhist monks. The clergy, called the Sangha, is one of the country's most powerful institutions. Its supreme patriarch and his revered council of 21 elder monks shepherd more than 300,000 monks nationwide--as well as the souls of a nation in which 95 percent of the country's 60 million people are said to count themselves among the faithful. According to experts, though, more and more Thai Buddhists are suffering from a "crisis of faith" with their religion and its custodians. In recent months newspapers have detailed scandals involving monks dealing drugs, being involved in sex and crime rings and even running profitable commercial businesses on the side.

The Sangha itself is now being publicly criticized for attempting to cover up scandals and allowing the corruption within its ranks to go unchecked. The monkhood's leadership believes its authority is so imperiled they have recently asked the government to create a special Ministry of Buddhism to help prop it up. "I think people in general are losing respect for monks," says Sanitsuda Ekachai, an assistant editor of the Bangkok Post and award-winning writer on Buddhism issues. "They're asking, 'Who's a good monk and who's a bad monk?' "

Critics say the religion has gone astray in part because its leaders form more of a secret society than an open-minded and instructive clergy. Others point to a breakdown in training and teaching at temples, which leaves monks unable to explain basic Buddhist tenets. "Many are blindly following traditions and don't understand what they're doing," says one former monk. A few opportunists are said to join the monkhood for the free room and board, and the chance to make some cash. Either way, the declining standards are on full display. Monks on the streets of Bangkok--despite a vow of poverty--are frequently spotted wearing expensive jewelry and designer sandals, chatting up a storm on their new cell phones. These lapses, along with the seemingly endless stream of scandals, have left many Thais shaking their heads. "I have honestly lost my faith in ...