Valuing Buddha?
Re: "Temple, state forever tied at the hip", (Opinion, Oct 12).
It might be true, as Guanxiong Qi -- a PhD student at Chulalongkorn University specialising in Thai Buddhism -- argues, that Buddhism (rather than trying to protect the monopoly of two major liquor businesses) is the reason conservative MPs rejected the bill to liberalise the alcohol industry.
Mr Qi sensibly observes that Thailand's love of the drug alcohol, which kills so many on the roads every year, tearing apart families and imposing massive economic costs, is not at all consistent with the Fifth Precept of Buddhism.
But he overlooks an even more telling guide to the depth of Thai commitment to Buddhist principle: the mass daily slaughter of animals.
When you buy chicken or pork or beef or fish or whatever tasty animal flesh at the market or supermarket, you are paying others to kill on your order.
Legalistic deceits notwithstanding, it is no better morally or spiritually than if you chopped the animals' heads off yourself. Nor can it be argued that Thai Buddhists consume meat for health reasons.
On the contrary, most would be healthier if they greatly reduced their desire-driven over-indulgence in tasty animal flesh. That is the fact-based assessment of the Thai commitment to practising the Buddha's First Precept.
So, while I must agree with him that Buddhism is the excuse given to justify rejecting a progressive, just piece of legislation, Mr Qi has certainly not established that that is because the Thai politicians involved have any genuine interest in following any Buddhist principle.
If the unknown percentage of Thais who do genuinely try to live by the Buddha's excellent teachings care for its good name, they will dissociate themselves from such uses of Buddhism for political ends that conflict with justice, democracy, and good morals that respect the rights and freedoms of others.
If only a significant number of Thai politicians did in fact value the Buddha's wisdom, Thailand would be a very different nation. The corporations getting rich by killing on demand would be no more like that than the alcohol companies raking it in. And peaceful free speech would be welcomed rather than criminalised as a weapon to silence patriots lest the critical thinking the Buddha encourages lead to informed opinion of worth.
(Irrelevant personal note: I am not a vegetarian; I enjoy a hearty range of meats. However, while admiring the Buddha's commitment to rigorous critical thinking and many of his insights, neither do I claim to follow Buddhism.)
Comments unmissed
Re: "Hack victim", (PostBag, Sept 23).
Nang Tani complains the "Comments" section of the Post has recently been experiencing difficulties, with users unable to log in or use the site.
Given that some individuals have complained in the past that toxic comments about them by others have often gone uncensored by the section's moderator, perhaps it's a good thing that many cannot write their vile comments whenever they see fit to do so.