Buddhist extremism in Thailand fits neatly into junta's plans
by Alistair Denness

BANGKOK: -- BESET by a painful economic downturn, clouded by political uncertainties and plagued by numerous human rights abuses attributed to the ruling junta, Thailand’s rulers are throwing a spanner in the media narrative by launching a controversial campaign to establish Buddhism as the country’s official religion.

The junta-appointed committee that is writing the country’s 20th constitution in a century is being actively pressured by Buddhist activists to insert a new clause: a state religion. However, an extremist Buddhist movement active both within the country and in neighboring Myanmar is now threatening to send the project off the rails.

A recent call to arms by Thai monk Phra Apichart Punnajanto, abbot at one at one of Bangkok’s most prestigious and influential temples – Wat Benchamabopit – has come under fire. In a classic eye-for-an-eye religious diatribe, this holy man, this man of ‘peace’, advocated that for every Buddhist monk killed by Muslim insurgents in the south of the country a mosque should be burned to the ground.

Full story: http://asiancorrespondent.com/2015/12/buddhist-extremism-in-thailand-fits-neatly-into-juntas-plans/

-- ASIAN CORRESPONDENT 2015-12-01

Ooh, that article has the "D" word in it. Does that mean we can act like adults now and be allowed to use it on this forum? Oh, and it mentions a "Tyrant" as well - is that OK?

Wow there's a lot of glaring home truths and criticism in that article. I'm surprised that it has been posted here!

Someone needs to be adjusted....

Hope many articles written in the same tone will follow

Wow there's a lot of glaring home truths and criticism in that article. I'm surprised that it has been posted here!

Oh, don't worry, the usual suspects will be along in a minute decrying the author as having sprung from the loins of Satan himself....................

Very few Thai 'Buddhists' actually practice Buddhism. They practice a hybrid of animist, Hindu and Buddhist 'beliefs'.

Firstly, Buddhism isn't a religion. Unless it suits someone's agenda, it seems. Secondly the words 'Buddhism' and 'Extremism' have no place in the philosophy of the Middle Way. Duh.

Just another mob wearing a uniform.

Buddhist extremism is no Buddhism, it's an aberration of the authentic Teaching of the Buddha.

Whenever religious authorities, especially where they are not an oppressed minority, call for greater state support of the religion, any reasonable person would ask, "Why do you need that?"

Why do Buddhist leaders need state sponsorship through legislation?

Huge question.

"Thailand’s rulers are throwing a spanner in the media narrative by launching a controversial campaign to establish Buddhism as the country’s official religion."

Throughout history, ruling regimes have created and recreated god, religion and spirituality in the images of the rulers. At one time the heads of religion were the most revered members of societies. When organized warfare came into existence, the military supplanted the influence of religion. Eventually, the religious leaders, fearing that they had lost their power over the population, offered to legitimize the activities of the military by fully supporting them. The results being the Spanish Inquisition, The Crusades, and other atrocities worldwide, which were supported and in some cases instigated by the various religious establishments.

This move by Thailand's rulers is nothing new. They are seeking to legitimize their positions of power by getting into bed with whichever religious leaders are willing to legitimize the regime and the regime's activities. The fact that the final product does not resemble Buddha's teachings does not matter to them. It's all about power and greed and has nothing to do with spirituality.

Having a national religion is ok and it’s ok to say that a majority of the population follow the religion.

However, the problem lies in the way that religion is portrayed, firstly Buddhism isn’t a religion if you follow the teachings of the budda, he also said that he didn’t want to be worshiped as a god and that if you do this and pray to statues of him, that you don’t and never have understood his teachings and beliefs.

He also said if you want to follow my teachings and be the most basic follower you should follow these 5 precepts

1. Don’t kill
2. Don’t lie or speak falsely of others
3. No drugs or alcohol
4. No adultery
5. Don’t steal

I have rarely seen anyone that claims to Buddhist follow all of these precepts.

A monk has to follow 100 precepts.

Some of but not all of the Muslims in the Deep South are radical and out of control, and also have not understood the Koran, the trouble makers and their agents, use the lack of education to twist the true meaning in the texts, to incite and radicalise the people, to act against the Buddhists.

They need to be rounded up and punished. But burning mosques will just incite more violence and Tit for tat won’t solve anything.

They tried it in the 1930’s when Thailand was a Fascist government and it didn’t work then, I think it won’t work now.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Well that tears it. I thought Buddhism was the one religion I could have some respect for, but now I'll stick to my convictions that religions are the scourge of humanity. They dictate how people will believe in God or whatever power they believe in and they end up killing more people than all the wars of history. Organized religion is like organized crime or worse.

Wow there's a lot of glaring home truths and criticism in that article. I'm surprised that it has been posted here!

Oh, don't worry, the usual suspects will be along in a minute decrying the author as having sprung from the loins of Satan himself....................

Thaksin bribes the Asian correspondent they'll cry. Just like some of them believe he pays people to ,thumbs down' junta articles on the Bangkok post site!

Firstly, Buddhism isn't a religion. Unless it suits someone's agenda, it seems. Secondly the words 'Buddhism' and 'Extremism' have no place in the philosophy of the Middle Way. Duh.

A mere play on words, in my opinion. Buddhism is as much a religion as any of the other so called religions, and far superior to many as a pointer to leading your life. If making Buddhism the national "religion" is intended to stall or prevent the march of the muslims and their retarded attitude, I am all for it

1. "Don’t kill
2. Don’t lie or speak falsely of others
3. No drugs or alcohol
4. No adultery
5. Don’t steal

I have rarely seen anyone that claims to Buddhist follow all of these precepts."

Meet me sometime. Not that difficult to follow.

Unlike ISIS, gonna have a heck of a time finding some sort of justification for this in the sutras.... Buddhism needs no protection or special status. Those who think it does are from same pod as nut cases in US hollering about "War on Christmas". Always helps those in power to claim some institution many care for but few understand is under threat.

Ooh, that article has the "D" word in it. Does that mean we can act like adults now and be allowed to use it on this forum? Oh, and it mentions a "Tyrant" as well - is that OK?

I used the "D" word in a previous post and received a short posting ban. I certainly understand the TVFs position and have no problem with the ban. Fortunately, the banned word, and many others related to it, still remain in use throughout the free word.

The article was very interesting. to say the least. Violence, from whatever quarter, seems to reproduce the same behaviors. Sad that such a peaceful way of living is tainted and corrupted by wolves in sheeps clothing.

mmmmm

how does this fit in with solving the southern problem

Religion is what keeps the poor people from murdering the rich.

- Napoleon Bonaparte

Very few Thai 'Buddhists' actually practice Buddhism. They practice a hybrid of animist, Hindu and Buddhist 'beliefs'.

This is true, but actually nobody "practices Buddhism," since nobody really knows what the Buddha taught or how he taught it. Buddhism has the largest literature in the world, far surpassing the writings of Christianity and Islam. The two main "branches" of Buddhism, Theravada (or Hinayana) and Mahayana, have fundamental differences. I find Mahayana very uncongenial, because I consider it worship of Bodhisattvas. On the other hand I am not happy with the actual practices of Buddhism in Thailand, which I think is too much like the Stations of the Cross in Roman Catholic Christianity. I also consider Christianity to be a worship of the many, many Saints and Mother Mary, so completely inconsistent.

Ooh, that article has the "D" word in it. Does that mean we can act like adults now and be allowed to use it on this forum? Oh, and it mentions a "Tyrant" as well - is that OK?

No, this is a forum hosted in Thailand and Asia Correspondent is apparently a UK company. One has freedom of speech, one doesn't.

Well that tears it. I thought Buddhism was the one religion I could have some respect for, but now I'll stick to my convictions that religions are the scourge of humanity. They dictate how people will believe in God or whatever power they believe in and they end up killing more people than all the wars of history. Organized religion is like organized crime or worse.

Try looking at Buddhism as a set of values and principles to try to live by on a personal level. Every religion or belief will have people who twist it's precepts to suit themselves.

Buddism, Islam, Catholicism and all the rest are nothing more than reasons and excuses to start wars.Atheism is the only way to go.

Having a national religion is ok and it’s ok to say that a majority of the population follow the religion.

However, the problem lies in the way that religion is portrayed, firstly Buddhism isn’t a religion if you follow the teachings of the budda, he also said that he didn’t want to be worshiped as a god and that if you do this and pray to statues of him, that you don’t and never have understood his teachings and beliefs.

He also said if you want to follow my teachings and be the most basic follower you should follow these 5 precepts

1. Don’t kill
2. Don’t lie or speak falsely of others
3. No drugs or alcohol
4. No adultery
5. Don’t steal

I have rarely seen anyone that claims to Buddhist follow all of these precepts.

A monk has to follow 100 precepts.

Some of but not all of the Muslims in the Deep South are radical and out of control, and also have not understood the Koran, the trouble makers and their agents, use the lack of education to twist the true meaning in the texts, to incite and radicalise the people, to act against the Buddhists.

They need to be rounded up and punished. But burning mosques will just incite more violence and Tit for tat won’t solve anything.

They tried it in the 1930’s when Thailand was a Fascist government and it didn’t work then, I think it won’t work now.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Right, so what we should do is, is go everywhere n Thailand, remove and destroy all statues of Buddha. And then, we claim that we are more like Buddha than the Thais ??

Buddism, Islam, Catholicism and all the rest are nothing more than reasons and excuses to start wars.Atheism is the only way to go.

Nope. Atheists will fight any religion in order to prove their point. The only way to go is not to give a flying <deleted> what others believe in. Unfortunately that's hard, since all the groups are at each others necks, even those who wish to stay as far away as possible from fights they don't care about.

Well that tears it. I thought Buddhism was the one religion I could have some respect for, but now I'll stick to my convictions that religions are the scourge of humanity. They dictate how people will believe in God or whatever power they believe in and they end up killing more people than all the wars of history. Organized religion is like organized crime or worse.

Get real, wars are fought because of a fight over natural resources, land and ethnic identity reasons. Them Jews and Palestinians, they would still be fighting even if they all become atheists.

That American Civil War, Vienam War, World War One, none of them wars were about religion. That Falklands War between Britain and Argentina, nothing to do with religion.

"a country crippled by strict [...] societal conditioning"

That pretty much nails it.

Buddism, Islam, Catholicism and all the rest are nothing more than reasons and excuses to start wars.Atheism is the only way to go.

The older I get the more convinced I become that what you say there is right.

mmmmm

how does this fit in with solving the southern problem

It doesn't it adds fuel to the fire

Having a national religion is ok and it’s ok to say that a majority of the population follow the religion.

However, the problem lies in the way that religion is portrayed, firstly Buddhism isn’t a religion if you follow the teachings of the budda, he also said that he didn’t want to be worshiped as a god and that if you do this and pray to statues of him, that you don’t and never have understood his teachings and beliefs.

He also said if you want to follow my teachings and be the most basic follower you should follow these 5 precepts

1. Don’t kill
2. Don’t lie or speak falsely of others
3. No drugs or alcohol
4. No adultery
5. Don’t steal

I have rarely seen anyone that claims to Buddhist follow all of these precepts.

A monk has to follow 100 precepts.

Some of but not all of the Muslims in the Deep South are radical and out of control, and also have not understood the Koran, the trouble makers and their agents, use the lack of education to twist the true meaning in the texts, to incite and radicalise the people, to act against the Buddhists.

They need to be rounded up and punished. But burning mosques will just incite more violence and Tit for tat won’t solve anything.

They tried it in the 1930’s when Thailand was a Fascist government and it didn’t work then, I think it won’t work now.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Right, so what we should do is, is go everywhere n Thailand, remove and destroy all statues of Buddha. And then, we claim that we are more like Buddha than the Thais ??

What the ????