Who are the real big bad Buddhists?

Paintings of Japanese superhero Ultraman with Thai-style Buddha heads which caused a controversy. REUTERS

It is quite rare to see an art student from a northeastern province becoming famous overnight, with her paintings widely shared on social media. But it was probably not the type of fame she was looking for.

In terms of its value as art, the set of paintings -- which depict Lord Buddha as Ultraman, the superhero from the 1970s -- have received mixed reviews.

Those calling themselves devout Buddhists were the ones who stirred up the controversy, alleging that the paintings "not only offend a large number of Buddha's followers but also taints Buddhism's good image", if not the entire religion.

The group hunted down the art student and interfered with any deals which could possibly make her famous the way she wanted or make financial gains. Due to pressure from them, the paintings were eventually removed from an exhibition which took place in a shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima. The painter, whose name is withheld, was then made to tearfully apologise to the public, for what the extremists viewed as disrespect towards the religion. The group did not stop at the student, as they also intimidated those who lent her support, including National Artist Chalermchai Kositpipat.

Harming the religion? How? As a Buddhist, I could not help but ask the same question.

As I tried to understand this extremely religious group of people, especially their accusation that the painter disrespected Buddhism, I couldn't see how the Ultraman image could have done what was alleged by these extremists. I should remind the extremists that Ultraman is a hero, not a villain.

The student, in fact, should be given some credit for creating a piece of art that triggered such a public debate.

It frustrates me sometimes that those who claim to be religious hardly ever wonder how those who present themselves as Buddhist can ruin Buddhism's reputation by promoting "commercial Buddhism".

Remember the Jatukham Ramathep craze? Was it considered appropriate by commercial Buddhism's standards? How about wayward monks who managed to steer clear from the long arm of the law despite their serious misconducts, or even crimes?

If you flip through a newspaper, or search the internet, you will find a number of reports on monks whose urine samples came back positive for drugs. Among them were eight out of 15 Buddhist monks at a temple in Thungsong, Nakhon Si Thammarat, whose misbehaviour was exposed in February. As if the positive test results were not bad enough, there were reports that a high-ranking monk asked authorities to dismiss the case.

In a separate case, two monks and one novice at a temple in Kanchanaburi had urine that also tested positive for drugs. I am sure that this is only the tip of the iceberg, as there must be many more cases which were never aired in public.

Another recent and even more scandalous case, involves a former abbot of Wat Muang Doo in Buri Ram who was arrested earlier this month for having repeatedly raped a minor since 2015. The crime was revealed when the mother of the victim, now 18 and five-months pregnant, filed a complaint against the abbot with police. The abbot confessed and agreed to pay 150,000 baht in compensation to the family, before running away to seek refuge in another temple in Nakhon Ratchasima where he was arrested and was forced to leave the monkhood.

I cannot comprehend why the police allowed this case, which involved a minor, to be settled out of court. Why didn't they charge him? Isn't rape a criminal offence?

We should admit that some Buddhists continue to believe in things, even if they aren't considered appropriate. Take the sacred Buddha statue at Wat Krokkrak in Samut Sakhon, which is known for wearing a pair of sunglasses. Yet, Buddhists still flock to the temple, with no one seeming to care if the sunglasses are appropriate or not.

Did you hear about how the abbot of Wat Kalaya demolished a piece of historical heritage from the early Rattanakosin era and evicted a community which had been supporting the temple for decades, just to accommodate buses of tourists who will donate to the temple?

The monk was finally punished, but his jail term was suspended as he acted out of "ignorance".

How could the National Office of Buddhism ignore such untoward behaviour -- drunkenness, drug-taking, and rape -- for so long?

I can only imagine the art student's suffering. As she broke down in tears, she probably questioned the country she grew up in and the type of illogical people she has had to deal with. As the saga drags on, the university said it would ban the sale of the painting. But what right does the university have to say that?

But at least, there is some good news. Her work -- which sold for 4,500 baht before it became a nationwide scandal -- fetched 600,000 baht in an online auction, with the proceeds donated to a hospital in the province. A man who initiated the auction said he did it in her honour, to recognise her courage and her thought-provoking work.

Despite all the controversies, the student, who has been unfairly branded "a bad Buddhist", received the chance to become a big donor, with the money from the fiasco benefiting the underprivileged.

This is true merit-making -- something that the religious extremists would probably never think of doing.