Aseries of scandals involving monks have dented Buddhists' faith and cast the monastic community in a negative light.
Accusations of misconduct and misuse of temple assets have spurred the National Office of Buddhism to hold a public hearing pushing for the passage of a bill to protect Buddhism and deal with anyone who tarnishes it.
Temples across Thailand place donation boxes at almost every corner, urging visitors to drop in their money. Apichart Jinakul
The latest scandal involves the dismissal of an abbot from a temple in Phichit.
Phra Khru Thikha Tassimuniwong, Phichit's provincial chief monk, recently signed an order dismissing Phra Khru Wisitsilaphon, the abbot of Wat Hiranyaram — widely known as Wat Luang Pho Ngernฺ Bang Khlan — in tambon Bang Khlan of Pho Thale district.
The provincial chief monk said the acting Supreme Patriarch, Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn, had ordered a probe into complaints that the abbot was engaged in improper conduct and was not managing temple finances transparently.
The accusations were made by residents and a local politician who was a former attendant of the temple.
In response, the monk filed a total of 28 lawsuits against those who made the allegations against him. During court trials, evidence emerged that about 40 million baht of temple money had been spent on the stock exchange.
More than 100 locals were summoned to testify against the monk, driving a wedge between them and the temple.
The conflict continued for several years, harming the temple's reputation until recently, when the monk was removed as abbot.
The other case involves Phra Phromsuthi, the abbot of Wat Sa Ket in Bangkok, who was accused of amassing huge wealth. He denied the claims.
The accusations are believed to have originated from his assistant, Phra Phromsitthi.
The allegations, which spread far and wide via social media, assert the abbot of Wat Sa Ket has a wide array of businesses including a 1,000-million-baht property development project, a 300-rai orchard, and a loan business in which he lends money to other monks.
He is said to own several luxury cars and fighting cocks and run a pla kad — Siamese fighting fish — breeding business. All businesses are said to be based in his home province of Ayutthaya.
Phra Phromsuthi denied the accusations.
The property development project and the 300-rai orchard belong to his relatives, he said.
The luxury cars were donated by his followers and are only for temple affairs, not for personal use, he added.
The monk claimed the allegations were made to discredit him and undermine the monastic community.
The Wat Sa Ket abbot earlier suspended Phra Phromsitthi and four other monks from their work at the temple for embezzling temple assets.
The five monks were responsible for handling donations and Phra Phromsuthi said they had done their work dishonestly, apportioning most of the blame to his assistant.
But the acting Supreme Patriarch later ordered Phra Phromsuthi to reinstate Phra Phromsitthi as the caretaker of the Golden Mountain, the temple's landmark.
The four other monks were also ordered to return to work at the temple in the posts they held previously.
The People's Network Organisation for the Security of the Nation, Religion and the King petitioned the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate alleged irregularities in the use of a 67-million-baht state budget for the royal cremation of Somdet Phra Buddhachan, a former abbot of Wat Sa Ket and acting supreme patriarch.
Chaithanapon Srijiwangsa, coordinator of the network, claimed to have obtained evidence pointing to alleged corruption in the spending of the budget.
He claimed part of the budget might have been used to support businesses run by Phra Phromsuthi's relatives in Ayutthaya.
Mr Chaithanapon also sought justice from the Sangha Supreme Council (SSC) for seven assistant abbots of Wat Sothorn Wararam in Chachoengsao whom he claimed had been unfairly suspended from their duties by Phra Phromsuthi, who is also a member of the SSC and chief of Sangha Region 12.
Mr Chaithanapon said Phra Promsuthi had ordered an investigation against the seven assistant abbots on Feb 27, 2010 for alleged improper conduct.
The findings of the probe had been submitted to the provincial chief monk and the Sangha Region 12 chief. However, Phra Phromsuthi had not forwarded the findings to the SSC, Mr Chaithanapon said. This showed the senior monk had wanted to conceal the findings of the probe, which had blocked the seven assistant abbots from returning to their temple duties, he said.
Meanwhile, monks in many provinces are accused of other types of misconduct, such as having relationships with women.